Some of the groups of people who suffer from dysphagia and how if affects them
| Elderly people |
45% find some difficulty in swallowing;
65% of those living in residential or nursing homes: chewing and swallowing muscles are weaker, loss of teeth and saliva production reduced. |
| Stroke sufferers |
30%: nerves, muscles and cognitive/brain function affected |
| Multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease |
Nervous system and muscles affected |
| Alzheimer’s disease sufferers and severe depressives |
Cognitive/ brain function affected |
| Motor Neurone Disease |
Nervous system, nerves and muscles affected |
| People with cancer of the throat and/or mouth |
Nerves and muscles damaged by disease and treatment |
| People with head and neck injuries |
Nerves and muscles damaged |
| People with chronic heartburn, internal burns associated with poisoning or radiotherapy |
Structural damage to muscles and lining of oesophagus |
| People with an obstruction: infection (laryngitis, tonsillitis, herpes), abscess or muscles in the oesophagus which go into spasm when food and drink is introduced |
Structural problems: lumen (tube) of oesophagus too narrow |
| Medical accidents: such as tearing of the throat lining |
Structural damage to lining of the oesophagus and/or muscles and nerves |