The Importance Of Swallow Study

By Karen Thomas


Maintaining health living conditions is very essential. It is recommended to always go for checkups so as to maintain proper functioning of essential body parts. Such checkups include proper Swallowing and digestion of food. This is important in a way that if it does not work properly, some parts of the body might refuse to function properly. That is why you need a Swallow Study that helps you discover some of the dysfunctions in your body.

This exercise is normally done to prevent you from Swallowing difficulties. It uses x-rays and can record what happens as food is ingested to your body. Barium is the most common test for this but videofloroscopic can also be used as an alternative. Some symptoms of this abnormality include pain while swallowing, food sticking in your throat and some certain breathing problems.

Some health problems can lead to dysphagia. Such problems include, mouth sores, muscular dystrophy, stroke, conditions that decrease saliva as well as other major dental problems. Aspiration can easily result when you have this condition. Therefore, it is safer to take the right precautions and see a specialist. By doing so, you avoid major future effects of the problem.

Oral cavity is one of the most important parts of human digestion. If it gets impaired, many things could go wrong. Chewing and Swallowing are initiated here. As a result of dysphagia the two processes are hindered. Also, it becomes hard for you to contain any fluids in your mouth making the fluid to spill to the pharynx when it is not ready to receive it. This can cause aspiration.

Pharynx is another body part affected. When it is not functioning properly, transportation of food to the esophagus is greatly interfered with. Food ends up being retained in the pharynx in excess amounts. This can make you experience an overflow aspiration. If the clearance in the pharynx is severely obstructed then, you might not be able to take in enough amounts of drinks and foods required for survival.

Esophagus is also affected. When there is any obstruction in esophagus, food substances are retained for a long period without them being moved to the next body part for digestion to be completed. Such a challenge occurs when the muscles in the esophagus have weakened resulting to a reduction in propulsive forces. This obstruction may be caused by a Wed, tumor or structure.

Dysphagia has many dangers but the worst of them all is aspiration. This happens when food and liquids pass through the vocal chords. It is often caused by destructions in the pharynx. Such destructions include overflow of food substances retained or closure in the pharynx. A person who aspirates can be at a very high risk of conducting serious respiratory diseases. Examples of such diseases include aspiration pneumonia.

It is very clear that this study is very important. The aftermath of the abnormality are futile. It starts from something small transforming to something really big. Also make sure that the specialists you consult explain everything to you. This includes, tests to be run, method used and its later results. Precautions on the re-occurrence of such problem should also be clearly stated.




About the Author: