Dysphagia

dysphagia

[dis′fā·jə]

(medicine)

Difficulty in swallowing, or inability to swallow, of organic or psychic causation.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Dysphagia

 

difficulty in the act of swallowing.

The causes of dysphagia are inflammations of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, larynx, and mediastinum; foreign bodies; cicatricial stenoses and tumors; and certain nervous conditions. Swallowing is difficult or impossible and painful. Food or liquid get into the nose, larynx, and trachea. Dysphagia is treated by eliminating the primary condition.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.