J Korean Dysphagia Soc.  2011 Jul;1(2):80-84.

Considerations and Problems in the Prescription of Dysphagia Diets

• Ryu JS

Abstract

Dysphagia refers to all types of anomaly that may occur at all courses of oral cavity, pharyngeal cavity, and esophageal cavity by ingestion of food material. Dysphagia may range from light issues such as delay in meal times, discomfort, and coughing when eating to more serious issues such as malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia, even leading to fatality and thus requires great caution. Therefore the diet provided to dysphagia patients requires extra caution, and efforts should be made to supply an appropriate amount. In order to provide food to dysphagia patients, the viscosity is controlled typically based on the videofluroscopic swallowing test. In order to prescribe the dysphagia diet, it would be necessary to accurately evaluate the deglutition function of the patient, understand the natural progress of basic disorder which led to dysphagia, and provide food of appropriate viscosity and texture. Also, a unified guideline must be prepared for the diet used in videofluroscopic swallowing study, the diet provided to actual patients, and the commercialized deglutition assisting additives to provide safe diet to the patients. Therefore, this report shall examine the points to consider when prescribing dysphagia diet to dysphagia patients and the commonly encountered issues when making such prescription.

Keyword

Dysphagia; Diet; Prescription