Dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that can cause discomfort when food gets stuck in the throat. It can be caused by a variety of medical conditions, such as: nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal conditions, prematurity, heart disease, cleft lip or palate, and head and neck abnormalities. A patient with dysphagia can be cared for by a family physician in a hospital, or a nursing home with the assistance of a speech-language pathologist (SLP), physician, nutritionist, etc. as long as he or she has been properly diagnosed. The prevalence increases with age and poses problems in older patients. Typically, the average age of onset is around 55 year olds, but dysphagia can occur in children as well.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the three stages in the swallowing process are: 1) the oral phase, where the patient can suck, chew, and move food or liquid into the throat, 2) the pharyngeal phase, where the swallowing reflex starts, as well as trying to squeeze food down the throat, and closing off the airway to prevent food or liquid from entering the airways to prevent choking, and 3) the esophageal phase, where the patient relaxes and tightens the openings at the top and bottom of the feeding tube in the throat and squeezes food through the esophagus into the stomach (ASHA, 2014). For dysphagic patients, subsequent treatment is required when a problem occurs at any point in the swallowing process.
Treatment is available for all patients with dysphagia. There are different approaches depending on the cause, symptoms, and severity of the swallowing problem. A speech-language-pathologist may recommend possible treatment options that family members and patients may take into consideration for ...
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...nd his or her family. Cultural and social values may be important factors in an individual’s decision regarding treatment, as well as the role of eating in relation to quality of life. The shared decision making integrates the needs, interests, and perspectives of the patients while looking at the evaluation of real and assumed risk. Real risk are those where there are clinical, measurable signs that non-adherence to the dysphagia recommendations will negatively affecting the patient’s health. Assumed risk is a resistance of facts offered by a party against the proceedings that have been introduced to diminish a cause of action, entailing a dangerous condition and voluntary exposure to it. While it may be difficult for the clinicians and patient to come to an agreement, shared decision making offers best possible scenario for creating an effective treatment plan.
•Jose symptoms is derived from a disorder called Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurring in the digestive system with the consumption of food, irritating the esophagus generally causing notable clinical symptoms such as the following: vomiting, chronic cough, angina, & regurgitation immediately after the consumed food. Jose's experience of the lump in his throat is caused by esophageal sphincter pressure.
There is no actual treatment or any pharmaceutical cure for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. The only way to cope with this disorder is to treat the side effects it causes and prevent any other complications that arise from the onset of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
Patients that follow food practices will be given the tools to be able to select...
When you walk into a room of people look around you at everybody. Can you pick out one or two people who suffer from a learning disability? Simply by looking at me Could you tell I do. Even educators did not realize that I had dyslexia. Unfortunately, they did not see the signs. I would like to share with you, how I have endeavored obstacles throughout life and still do, to this day.
A common condition that is associated with GERD and LES problems is having a hiatal hernia. A hiatal hernia is when you have a larger than normal opening in the diaphragm where the esophagus passes through. Since this opening is larger, the stomach begins to enter this opening. When you eat, the stomach and esophagus do not join as they were properly intended and cause malfunctioning of the LES. In some cases, food remains above the LES allowing it to easily travel back up the esophagus.
A big part of Dysautonomia is knowing what it is, its symptoms, and causes. First, Dysautonomia is an umbrella term which describes multiple problems throughout the body. Such as dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system which controls functions of the body like the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, metabolic system, endocrine system. Those who get Dysautonomia have trouble regulating these systems. Second, Dysautonomia can be life threatening and ranges from mild to disabling. Those who have Dysautonomia report increased symptoms after illness, trauma, or immunizations and children tend to struggle more than adults with basic functions of life. Dysautonomia tends to affect more females than males; it has a female to male ratio of 5-1. This disease is not very well known or heard about in society because it is such a rare disease (“What is Dysautonomia? What Causes Dysautonomia?”). Third, Dysautonomia can be diagnosed in different forms and with other diseases. Most people get diagnosed with another disease along with Dysautonomia. Some of these diseases or conditions that Dysautonomia is diagnosed with are Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease. People can also be diagnosed in different forms such as; Neurally Mediated Syncope (chronic condition where blood pools and there is a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate), Pos...
Unpleasant breathlessness that comes on suddenly or without expectation can be due to a serious underlying medical condition. Pneumonia can impact the very young and very old, asthma tends to affect young children, smokers are at greater risk of lung and heart disease and the elderly may develop heart failure. However, medical attention always needed by all these conditions as it can affect any age group and severe breathlessnes. There are short and long term causes of dyspnea. Sudden and unexpected breathlessness is most likely tend to be caused by one of the following health conditions. There is accumulating evidence that in many patients, dyspnea is multifactorial in causes, and that in most patients, there is no single, all-encompassing explanation for dyspnea.
Anorexia has many negative effects as well. According to the University of Maryland Medical Centers article Eating Disorders, “Anorexia nervosa can increase the risk for serious health problems such as: hormonal changes including reproductive, thyroid, stress, and growth hormones, heart problems such as abnormal heart rhythm, electrolyte imbalance, fertility problems, bone density loss, anemia, and neurological problems.” Anorexia can severely affect a person internally. The continuous lack of nutrients can leave an anorexic person extremely frail. The heart in particular can grow so weak, that heart failure occurs. Eating disorders can lead too permanent health damages can stay with a person for the rest of their life.
An eating disorder is a serious health condition involving extremely unhealthy dietary habits. There are a number of accepted eating disorder treatments that depend on the symptoms and severity of the illness. The most effective treatments involve both psychological as well as physical issues with the ultimate goal being a healthy dietary lifestyle. The team approach to treatment involves professionals with experience in eating disorders that usually includes a medical provider, mental health workers, registered dieticians and case managers. These individuals work together in hopes of avoiding a life threatening situation.
Autophagia is eating the parts of one’s own body, having the cases range from very minor instances to very severely (Lo, Schreuder 2014; Hanson, 2014). It can also be considered from a biological standpoint, the body naturally consuming its own tissues (Hanson, 2014). Categorizing autophagia as a disorder depends on a person’s personal opinion, due to the variety of factors associated with the cause. As viewed by some, it is primarily the result of people with personality disorders whom are trying to rid themselves of associated negative aspects. (Yilmaz, Uyanik, Sengül, Yaylaci, Karciolju, Serinken, 2014). Therefore, it becomes seen as the symptom of other disorders, rather than a disorder. Autophagia is referred to in many different manners, su...
Asthma is a disease that currently has no cure and can only be controlled and managed through different treatment methods. If asthma is treated well it can prevent the flare up of symptoms such as coughing, diminish the dependence on quick relief medication, and help to minimize asthma attacks. One of the key factors to successful treatment of asthma is the creation of an asthma action plan with the help of a doctor that outlines medications and other tasks to help control the patient’s asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?"). The amount of treatment changes based on the severity of the asthma when it is first diagnosed and may be the dosage may be increased or decreased depending on how under control the patient’s asthma is. One of the main ways that asthma can be controlled is by becoming aware of the things that trigger attacks. For instance staying away from allergens such as pollen, animal fur, and air pollution can help minimize and manage the symptoms associated with asthma. Also if it is not possible to avoid the allergens that cause a patient’s asthma to flare up, they may need to see an allergist. These health professionals can help diagnosis what may need to be done in other forms of treatment such as allergy shots that can help decrease the severity of the asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?").
The patient may no longer be able to orally take in food, and the artificial means of feeding may worsen the patient’s quality of life. The concept of food cessation is often difficult for the patient’s friends and family to understand and accept, especially because food is essential to life, and eating is a sociocultural experience. Family must be reminded that to feed the patient may do more harm than good. However, until the time that oral intake stops, nurses must be providing other ways to increase the patient’s nutrient intake. The performance of symptom assessments and the development of plans of care should begin at the time of diagnosis and continue throughout the remainder of the patient’s life. These assessments and plans of care are both critical to preventing the onset of early malnutrition and to maintaining the patient’s quality of
Dyslexia is a brain-based disorder that causes problems for people when they’re reading, writing, spelling, doing math computations, speaking or simply listening. Dyslexia is not an illness or a disease but the symptoms, which range from mild to severe, make life more challenging for the person with the disorder and for the family,
Gastroenteritis, sometimes referred to as infectious diarrhoea is a common disease that affects millions of people annually. It is a disease caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites that enter the human body and spread, which induce symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and nausea. Although it is a common occurrence in society and is usually not harmful, cases of gastroenteritis in less developed countries may have more fatal repercussions due to their inability to access ample means of treatment. Over time, as more research was conducted into the disease, scientific developments were made to aid those affected by gastroenteritis and reduce the number of fatalities by educating people regarding preventative methods.
After the initial assessment of the patient, if the nurse has any concerns regarding the patient’s swallow, it is the nurse’s role to refer that patient to the Speech and Language therapist. On assessment from the Speech and Language therapist they may find that the patient appears to have Dysphagia, which a difficulty or discomfort in swallowing, the Speech and Language therapists may prescribe a Dysphagia diet for such patients. A Dysphagia diet is highly individualised and involves modifications to food textures and fluid viscosity, foods may have to be chopped, minced and fluids may need to be thickened (Coxall et al., 2008). It is important that Dysphagia is addressed as there is a high risk of coughing and choking associated with it. Dysphagia can also lead to Aspiration pneumonia which is a chest infection which can develop from accidentally inhaling something such as food particles, it can cause irritation to the lungs or it can damage them (Nhs.uk, 2016). The Nurse must also liaise with the occupational therapist if required. The occupational therapist focuses of maximizing an individual’s ability to engage in all aspects of daily living. Eating and Drinking been an important activity in everyone’s day to day life, occupational therapy may be needed for this patient to meet their nutritional requirements. Occupational therapy in terms of nutrition may involve coaching the patient’s progress in oral feeding or the transition from tube feeding, designing equipment in the environment to support feeding or designing behavioural modifications to manage behavioural feeding difficulties, educating the patient, families, caregivers, and other health professional in food selection, preparation,