Swallowing allows food to move from the mouth to the stomach.
Swallowing is a term originating from the Latin deglutĭo that refers to the action and consequences of swallowing . This verb mentions the passage of food or other substances through the mouth to reach the stomach.
For example: "Grandpa has swallowing problems" , "Ever since I received that strong blow to the jaw, swallowing has been a struggle for me" , "The mother must be attentive to prevent the child from swallowing objects." » .
Swallowing process
Swallowing can be understood as an action that involves the intervention of various muscles , which act in an integrated manner. The first step is a voluntary act (food is made to enter the body after having been placed in the mouth and chewed) and is developed thanks to the action of the tongue , which propels the food and takes it towards the pharynx area.
Saliva helps the food become the so-called bolus and pass through the larynx. Swallowing continues with a series of processes that are already involuntary.
Swallowing problems can affect a child in different ways.
dysphagia
Persistent problems in developing normal swallowing are included under the name of dysphagia . This is a complication that can arise from various diseases and disorders.
Dysphagia can present symptoms such as chewing that lasts too long, involuntary expulsion of saliva, pain when swallowing, regurgitation of food or coughing. To accurately diagnose the cause of dysphagia, your doctor often orders a study known as an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy .
Treatment of swallowing problems
In the case of dysphagia, professionals always try to carry out a treatment that prevents the evolution of the problem; that is, it gets worse. Once they achieve this goal, they begin to evaluate the cause of the disorder and look for ways for the patient to improve until the symptoms disappear.
It should be noted that designing a treatment for this swallowing problem is not easy, particularly because the potential causes are many. When diagnosing dysphagia caused by an infection , the use of antibiotics that the doctor can control is indicated. If it has arisen due to a neurological problem, however, the resource that usually gives the best results is motor therapy .
To treat esophageal dysphagia, the doctor will likely prescribe a drug that reduces reflux and heartburn. In this way, the condition of the stomach is prevented from getting in the way of eating food, both solid and liquid. If a case of esophageal stricture or achalasia occurs, manual dilation is most commonly performed. For this, a special endoscope is used that has a spherical part capable of widening the esophagus as it passes.
The disorder in children
In children, as with almost any other health problem, dysphagia presents greater challenges, especially if it occurs before they learn to speak and describe their discomfort accurately. Therefore, it is up to adults to observe them to be attentive to any anomaly in their behavior when eating. Some of the most common symptoms are the following, which can also be seen in adults but the little ones do not always complain about them:
- Rejection of solid food.
- Tense body while trying to eat.
- Trouble breathing, vomiting and coughing during feeding.
- Weight loss.
Although the first three symptoms will surely cause the child to express his discomfort, the last one is the most difficult to detect in time unless the elderly are especially attentive, something that should happen in all cases without exception.