There are two types of dysphagia: oropharyngeal and esophageal:

– Patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia have difficulty in starting to swallow or in the manipulation of food in the mouth, especially with liquids. Symptoms usually include coughing during or after swallowing, regurgitation of food through the nose, weight loss, fever and/or repeated respiratory infections. Some of the most frequent causes of this type of dysphagia are stroke, traumatic brain injury, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis.

– Esophageal dysphagia initially affects solid foods and is usually secondary to structural alterations of the esophagus.

Early detection of the existence of a swallowing problem and diagnosis of the cause is important.