Dysphagia Management
How is Dysphagia Managed?
The Management of Dysphagia depends on the underlying cause. In addition to managing the underlying cause, certain lifestyle changes can improve the safety of those with Dysphagia.
These include
- a Speech Pathologist's swallowing assessment
- postural modifications when eating and drinking
- easier to swallow texture modified food and liquids in line with the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI)
- advice regarding exercises that may strengthen the swallowing mechanism
- guidance to reduce distractions and other variants that may reduce the efficiency of the swallow
If the Dysphagia is severe, the speech pathologist and/or doctor may recommend a feeding tube as an alternative to oral feeding, to ensure the patient gets enough nutrition to remain healthy and maintain weight.
What If Dysphagia Is Unmanaged?
Dysphagia is an indication of an underlying disease. If both of them are not addressed, long term complications can include:
- lower quality of life,
- weight loss,
- malnutrition and
- altered state of mind.
Aspiration pneumonia
is another complication that is common, due to swallowed food entering the airway. Death can occur in the case of choking.
The underlying disease can have its own series of complications that may appear in the long term, with some of them being life-threatening.
