VOMITING AFTER EATING OR DIFFICULTY IN SWALLOWING?

IT MAY BE DYSPHAGIA

- 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.

Though swallowing difficulties that improve in a day or two are not a concern, progressive dysphagia like difficulty in swallowing solids and liquids should be taken seriously, warn experts, especially in older people.