Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

Although the aging process per se can produce measurable changes in the normal oropharyngeal swallow, these changes alone are rarely sufficient to cause clinically apparent dysphagia. The causes of oropharyngeal dysphagia in the elderly are predominantly neuromyogenic, with the most common cause being stroke. The evaluation of oropharyngeal dysphagia in the elderly involves early exclusion of structural abnormalities, detection of aspiration by videofluoroscopy which might dictate early introduction of nonoral feeding, and exclusion of underlying systemic and neuromyogenic causes that have specific therapies in their own right. Such conditions include Parkinson disease, myositis, myasthenia, and thyrotoxicosis. Management is best delivered by a multidisciplinary team involving physician, speech pathologist, nutritionist and, at times, a surgeon.