VOMITING AFTER EATING OR DIFFICULTY IN SWALLOWING?

SYMPTOMS Difficulty in swallowing or pain during swallowing (odynophagia) are the main symptoms - some may experience food not easily passing through the esophagus or a sensation of something sticking in the throat. Severe cases can result in excessive drooling, regurgitation (often confused with vomiting), or even choking and coughing, which may lead to aspiration pneumonia. "It could also be a cancer in any part of the alimentary canal and another reason why it should not be ignored," said Dr Naveen Hedne, senior consultant, health and neck surgical oncology, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Chennai. Other reasons might be globus hystericus, a sensation or feeling of a mass or lump in the throat. "The patients may also be given swallowing therapy post-surgery to train muscles," he added.

- SINDUJA JANE @Chennai

VER since childhood, Kishore (name changed) from Chennai used to vomit after every meal. This often got his mother annoyed and angry, and she would scold him thinking he was doing it to skip school. His ordeal continued for many years and it did not improve either. When he was 14-years-old, his mother took him to a doctor and an endoscopy was performed. He was diagnosed with achalasia cardia - a condition in which it becomes difficult for a person to swallow due to narrowing of the lower end of the esophagus. As it is easily treatable, a keyhole surgery was performed to make the lower end of the esophagus wide open. From then on, Kishore did not have vomiting issues after having food and has been leading a normal life. "Anybody can develop dysphagia. Anyone experiencing food getting stuck in the throat and unable to push it down is a thing of concern. It should not be ignored and a doctor should be consulted," said Dr Patta Radhakrishna, director and senior consultant, surgical gastroenterology, MGM Malar Adyar Hospital.

Dysphagia, a condition where a person finds it difficult to swallow, can be classified under several categories. It can be due to neurological issues, structural abnormalities, and also due to inflammatory diseases like GERD or esophagitis. Finding the root cause is important to treat it, say doctors.