causes of dysphagia

Etiology

• mechanical dysphagia
• luminal
  • large bolus
  • foreign body
• intrinsic narrowing of lumen
  • inflammatory conditions causing edema & swelling
    • stomatitis
    • pharyngitis/epiglottitis
    • esophagitis
      • viral: Herpes simplex, Herpes zoster, cytomegalovirus
      • bacterial
      • fungal (Candida)
      • mucocutaneous bullous disease
      • caustic chemical, thermal injury
  • webs & rings
    • pharyngeal (Plummer-Vinson syndrome)
    • esophageal (congenital, inflammatory)
    • lower esophageal mucosal (Schatzki) ring
  • benign strictures
    • peptic
    • caustic & pill-induced
    • inflammatory
      • Crohn's disease
      • candidiasis
      • mucocutaneous lesions
    • ischemic
    • postoperative, postirradiation
    • congenital
  • benign tumors
    • leiomyoma
    • lipoma
    • angioma
    • inflammatory fibroid polyp
    • epithelial papilloma
  • malignant tumors
    • primary cancer
      • squamous cell carcinoma
      • adenocarcinoma
      • carcinosarcoma
      • pseudosarcoma
      • lymphoma
      • melanoma
      • Kaposi's sarcoma
    • metastatic cancer
• extrinsic compression
  • cervical spondylitis
  • vertebral osteophytes
  • retropharyngeal abscess or mass
  • enlarged thyroid gland
  • Zenker's diverticulum
  • vascular compression
    • aberrant right subclavian artery
    • right-sided aorta
    • left atrial enlargement
    • aortic aneurysm
  • posterior mediastinal mass
  • pancreatic tumor or pancreatitis
  • postvagotomy hematoma & fibrosis
• motor (neuromuscular dysphagia)
  • difficulty in initiating swallowing reflex
    • oral lesions & paralysis of tongue
    • oropharyngeal anesthesia
    • xerostomia (Sjogren's syndrome)
    • lesions of sensory components of cranial nerves 10 & 12
    • lesions of swallowing center
  • disorders of pharyngeal & esophageal striated muscle
    • muscle weakness
      • lower motor neuron lesion (bulbar paralysis)
        • cerebrovascular accident
        • motor neuron disease
        • poliomyelitis, postpolio syndrome
        • polyneuritis
        • amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
        • familial dysautonomia
      • neuromuscular (myasthenia gravis)
      • muscle disorders
        • polymyositis
        • dermatomyositis
        • myopathy: myotonic dystrophy, oculopharyngeal myopathy
    • disordered contractions
      • pharynx & upper esophagus
        • rabies
        • tetanus
        • extrapyramidal disorders
        • upper motor neuron lesions (pseudobulbar paralysis)
      • upper esophageal sphincter
        • paralysis of suprahyoid muscles
        • cricopharyngeal achalasia
  • disorders of esophageal smooth muscle
    • weak esophageal contractions
      • scleroderma & other connective tissue disorders
      • hollow visceral myopathy
      • metabolic neuromyopathy (amyloid, alcohol? diabetes?)
      • achalasia
    • disordered esophageal contractions
      • esophageal body
        • diffuse esophageal spasm
        • achalasia
        • variants of diffuse esophageal spasm
      • lower esophageal sphincter
        • disorders of achalasia: - Chagas' disease,carcinoma, lymphoma, toxins & drugs
        • lower esophageal muscular (contractile) ring
• medications (see medications causing dysphagia)

More specific terms

• medications causing dysphagia

Additional terms

• dysphagia (swallowing disorder)