What Causes Difficulty In Swallowing Food And Water?

Posted on Mon, 22 Jan 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 22 Jan 2018 Answered on

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 Last reviewed on

Question : I notice for few days now - each time I swallow food/water I feel a pain in my chest and it feels like the food/water is going to get stuck....even when I drink fluids I have the same sensation and there is some discomfort/pain

Answered by Dr. Eni (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Due to esophageal inflamation.

Detailed Answer:
Dear patient,

Thank You for posting your question on Health Care Magic.

The difficulty in swallowing is due to an inflammation in the esophag, which is the organ that connect your throat with the stomach.

The inflammation may be cause for different reasons, where the most common is the stomach reflux.

Normally the first step is to perform an esophageal endoscopy with biopsy. This is done in the office with a gastroenterologyst. The doctor will take material from the esophag and will check the type of the inflammation in it and then will prescribe the right treatment ( normally antiviral, antifungal, antiacid, pain relievers are prescribed).

Meanwhile, try to chew well the food before you swallow it and avoid spicy food, acid foods or hard ones.

If you have other questions, please feel free to post them.

Regards,
Dr. Eni

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T