Everyone Healthy Library
Swallowing Difficulty (Dysphagia)
Sign or symptom reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
! Seek urgent medical care if warning signs appear
A symptom can have many possible causes. Some symptoms need urgent assessment, especially when they are severe, sudden or rapidly worsening.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
- severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face/throat or widespread rash with breathing trouble
- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Full information
Swallowing Difficulty (Dysphagia)
Dysphagia means difficulty swallowing. Difficulties in swallowing may also be accompanied by pain. This symptom can occur at any age, however, it is more common in older adults. Causes very and treatment depends on the cause.
Symptom classification
Body areaHead
Body areaThroat
Conditions linked to this sign/symptom
81- Achalasia
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Ankylosis of The Temporomandibular Joint
- Anthrax
- Autonomic Neuropathy
- Benign Esophageal Tumors
- Bezoars
- Botulism
- Caustic Ingestion
- Cerebral Palsy Syndromes
- Chagas Disease
- Changas Disease
- Conversion Disorder
- Corrosive Esophagitis or Esophageal Stricture
- Cricopharyngeal Incoordination
- Dermatomyositis
- Diphtheria
- Dysphagia
- Epiglottitis
- Esophageal Atresia
- Esophageal Cancer
- Esophageal Diverticula
- Esophageal Dysphagia
- Esophageal Rupture
- Esophageal Web
- Euthyroid Goiter
- Fluorine Deficiency
- Fluorine Toxicity
- Follicular Carcinoma
- Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD or GERD)
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Guillain Barre Syndrome
- Herpes Labialis
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV AIDS)
- Huntingtons Disease
- Hypomagnesemia
- Hypophosphatemia
- Infectious Esophageal Disorders
- Iron Deficiency Anemia
- Ischemic Stroke
- Krabbes Disease
- Laryngeal Cancer
- Laryngitis
- Lassa Fever
- Lower Esophageal Ring
- Mediastinal Masses
- Meningiomas
- Metachromatic Leukodystrophy
- Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
- Motor Neuron Disorders
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Myotonic Dystrophy
- Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dytstrophy (OPMD)
- Oesophaegal Cancer
- Oesophageal Candidiasis
- Oropharyngeal Dysphagia
- Pericarditis
- Peritonsillar Abscess
- Pharyngeal Cancer
- Pneumomediastinum
- Poliomyelitis
- Polymyositis
- Polyneuropathy
- Preesophageal Dysphagia
- Premature Infant
- Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
- Rabies
- Retropharyngeal Abscess
- Scorpion Stings
- Sjogrens Syndrome
- Stomach Cancer
- Stroke
- Submandibular Space Infection
- Syphilis
- Syrinx
- Systemic Sclerosis
- Tetanus
- Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms
- Thyroid Cancer
- Undifferentiated Thyroid Cancer
- Vocal Cord Paralysis