symptoms of digestive disorders
digestive disorders
Difficulty Swallowing
Although most people take swallowing for granted, it is actually a complicated process. For swallowing to take place normally, the brain must unconsciously coordinate the activity of numerous small muscles of the throat and the esophagus. These muscles must contract strongly and in the proper sequence to push food from the mouth to the back of the throat and then down the esophagus. Finally, the lower part of the esophagus must relax to allow food to enter the stomach. Thus, swallowing difficulty can result from the following: Disorders of the brain or nervous system Disorders of the muscles in general Disorders of the esophagus (a physical blockage or a motility [movement] disorder) Brain and nervous system disorders that cause difficulty swallowing include Overview of Stroke , General muscle disorders that cause difficulty swallowing include Myasthenia Gravis , A physical blockage can result from Esophageal Cancer , Esophageal motility disorders include Achalasia (in which the rhythmic contractions of the esophagus are greatly decreased and the lower esophageal muscle does not relax normally to allow food to pass into the stomach) and 