Swallowing and Voice Disorder

People who experience difficulty or pain when swallowing may have a swallowing disorder or also known as dysphagia. There are some cases wherein a person may not be capable of swallowing edibles such as fluids, foods or even saliva. Since this condition limits the food intake, it may lead to malnourishment. This medical condition is usually common to older people.

Other common causes include: stroke, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), cancer (of the esophagus, head or neck), injury and nervous system disorder.

Treatment, procedure and prevention
The treatment and procedure may depend on the diagnosis of your ENT specialist. Common treatments include medications like proton pump inhibitors for reflux disease, surgery and therapy. In severe cases, feeding tubes is necessary. It will also be helpful if the patient’s diet is modified and the eating position is comfortable.

Voice disorder
The voice plays a vital role in a person’s life because it allows us to express and communicate with each other. Voice is the sound you create when the air from the lungs goes through the larynx. The vocal cords include two muscle groups that vibrate wherein sound will be produced; it is found in the larynx or also known as the voice box.

A voice disorder or also known as a vocal disorder is a medical condition in which one or both vocal cords are affected. Common causes of voice disorders include smoking, excessive shouting, infection, metabolic diseases or tumors that can paralyze the vocal cords, cancer and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).

Treatment and prevention
Common treatments include medications and surgery. The treatment may vary depending on etiology and may also depend on the diagnosis of the ENT specialist. A visit to your ENT specialist will help prevent further progression of the disease.