What Causes Difficulty Swallowing?

Posted on Sat, 26 Jul 2014

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

Sat, 26 Jul 2014 Answered on

Mon, 18 Aug 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : i sometimes have difficulty swallowing...it is painful when this happens, it occurs when the food i am eating gets approx level with the distal end of my sternum and causes me to hiccup, drinking something usually helps it to move along. i am 56 2 y.o. F. quit drinkng 6years ago, i continue to
smoke though

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (22 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
As below:

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. This area is cannot be visualized directly. The following investigations should be done:
a. A barium swallow study
b. An abdominal ultrasound to rule out a hiatus (sliding) hernia.
c. Chest X-ray
d. A flexible endoscopy if the above are normal.

2. If you can upload the results, further options may be discussed.

If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar