Aspiration Precaution

What You Need to Know

Persons with Difficulty Swallowing (Dysphagia)

Some of the most common causes of dysphagia are:

  • Stroke or brain injury
  • Serious dementia (such as advanced Alzheimer's disease)
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Diabetic neuropathy
  • Facial and tongue weakness
  • Poor head control
  • Head and neck cancer
  • Injury to the throat and jaw
  • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GRD)
  • Tumors, inflammation or spasm of the esophagus
  • Scleroderma

Signs of Dysphagia

Any of these signs can mean a person has dysphagia:

  • A wet sounding voice
  • Change in voice
  • A weak uncontrolled cough
  • Gagging, coughing or choking on food
  • Drooling
  • Taking a long time to swallow a single mouthful of food
  • Pain when swallowing
  • Food or liquids come back up though the throat, mouth, or nose after swallowing
  • Pain or pressure in the chest, called heartburn
  • Pocketing of food in the mouth
  • Slow, weak or uncoordinated speech

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