Swallowing disorders, known as dysphagia, affects more than 15 million Americans. The incidence of the disorder appears to be rising primarily because of improvements in life-support systems that allow many patients to survive who previously would not. Swallowing disorders are seen in many neurologic patients.

Up to 55 percent of all traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, and in 25 percent to 45 percent of all stroke patients. With regular treatment, 83 percent of patients with dysphagia recover or significantly improve.

Common signs of a swallowing problem are:

• Coughing, choking or drooling while eating or drinking or soon after eating or drinking
• Wet sounding voice during or after eating
• Frequent clearing of throat after swallowing
• Excessive secretions or increased congestion in the chest after eating or drinking
• Slow eating resulting in weight loss
• Multiple swallows on a single mouthful of food
• Obvious extra effort or difficulty while chewing or swallowing
• Fatigue or shortness of breath while eating
• Temperature rise 30 minutes to an hour after eating or drinking
• Repetitive pneumonia
• Residual food in the mouth or food collecting to one side
• Pain or discomfort while swallowing
• Complaint of having food stuck in the throat
• Oral or nasal regurgitation

For more information on swallowing disorders, call the Department of Communication Science and Disorders program at 792-2961.