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WHEEZING • DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING

Difficulty swallowing

115
Any difficulty swallowing is usually the result of a sore throat due to infection. Self-treatment should ease the soreness and allow normal swallowing. However, persistent difficulty swallowing may be due to a disorder of the stomach or esophagus, the tube connecting the throat to the stomach, and should be investigated by your doctor.
Do you get a burning pain in the center of the chest in either of these situations?
When you bend forward
START
Is your throat sore?
Which of the following applies?
When you lie down
Sore
Not sore
Is it possible that you have swallowed something sharp, such as a fish bone?
Food seems to stick high up in the chest
You have a feeling of something being stuck in the throat
Neither
Neither
ACTION
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR You probably have an inflamed esophagus due to acid reflux.
Does either of the following apply?
Possible
Unlikely
ACTION
GO TO ANOTHER CHART Sore throat, p. 103
ACTION
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR Anxiety disorders may be a cause of this type of difficulty swallowing.
The difficulty swallowing is getting worse
You have lost weight
Neither
ACTION
CALL YOUR DOCTOR NOW Something may have either scratched your throat or become lodged in it.
ACTION
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR if you cannot identify a possible cause for your difficulty swallowing from this chart.
ACTION
SEE YOUR DOCTOR WITHIN 24 HOURS You may have a narrowed esophagus caused by acid reflux, but cancer of the esophagus is possible.