10 Polymyositis Symptoms
Reviewed: Dr. Mera
Symptom #3: Dysphagia
Dysphagia is a term that refers to difficulty during swallowing. Patients with dysphagia can be unaware of experiencing it. It should be distinguished from odynophagia which refers to pain during swallowing. Dysphagia is used to describe difficult passage from the mouth to the stomach. Patients with dysphagia have a higher risk of aspiration pneumonia.
If undiagnosed, it can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and renal failure. Patients with dysphagia may experience inability to control saliva or food in their mouth, having trouble initiating a swallow, choking, coughing, regurgitation, wet voice, weight loss, and have frequent episodes of pneumonia.
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