TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ishak, Asaad
AU  - Diaz, GianCarlo
AU  - McCallum, Richard
AU  - Cherukuri, Sundar V
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/07/02
TI  - Dysphagia in the Older Age Setting
JO  - OBM Geriatrics
SP  - 174
VL  - 05
IS  - 03
AB  - Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is a common condition, especially among the elderly population and can become debilitating. As we age, there are subtle changes in esophageal motility, but by no means is dysphagia ever considered to be a normal result of aging. Dysphagia usually presents with a variety of accompanying symptoms ranging from regurgitation during meals, mild discomfort, to severe chest pain. It can be challenging to localize the dysphagia from the history. The underlying etiology may become evident during subsequent investigations. It is essential to be able diagnose dysphagia as early detection is associated with decreased morbidity and in some cases mortality. In addition, early detection through clinical suspicion, confirmatory imaging or endoscopic evaluation is important as it can lead to early intervention with proper management depending on the underlying etiology, resulting in economic benefit and reduced medical costs. There are various causes of dysphagia, with the majority being benign, but a physician should always be aware of red flags present which may signal more serious causes, such as an underlying malignancy. Our goal in this review article is to focus on detecting the clinical signs of dysphagia and review appropriate further evaluation and update on management of this potentially serious condition in order for elderly patients to achieve an optimal quality of life.
SN  - 2638-1311
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.geriatr.2103174
DO  - 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2103174
ID  - Ishak2021
ER  -