Abstract
Dysphagia is defined as difficulty in swallowing solids or liquids and is distinct from odynophagia, which is pain on swallowing. Dysphagia occurs in a range of conditions that affect the oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal phase of swallowing. The problem of dysphagia assumes greater importance in older persons. Some people may not be able to communicate that a problem exists. In others the lack of nutrition due to dysphagia compounds existing undernutrition, a common problem in institutionalized older persons. This paper discusses dysphagia in the context of the older person and outlines the normal mechanism of swallowing, the important clinical distinction between oropharyngeal dysphagia and oesophageal dysphagia, the aetiology of dysphagia and issues of management.
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