How to tailor medication formulations for patients with dysphagia
An overview of dysphagia and how to ensure patients are receiving the safest and most efficacious oral formulations.
Dysphagia is the term used to describe a swallowing disorder usually resulting from a neurological or physical impairment of the oral (mouth), pharyngeal (upper throat) or oesophageal (lower throat) mechanisms[1].
Swallowing is a mechanism that allows eating and drinking, which in healthy individuals, is a safe and effective means of maintaining life[2]. For a normal swallow to occur, food or fluid enters the mouth and is size-reduced through chewing, mixing with saliva to form a bolus that is transferred to the back of the throat with the assistance of the tongue[1]. The opening of the larynx closes and the ‘bolus’ is propelled into the stomach through the oesophagus[1]. A normal swallow requires the respiratory, oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal and oesophageal anatomical structures to function in synchrony, which is dependent upon the motor and sensory nervous system being intact[1].
