What happens when you aspirate?
Aspiration means inhaling some kind of foreign object or substance into your airway. Usually, it’s food, saliva, or stomach contents that make their way into your lungs when you swallow, vomit, or experience heartburn
What causes aspiration?
Some people refer to a case of aspiration as food “going down the wrong way.” This can happen due to reduced tongue control, poor swallowing reflexes, or medical devices that assist with breathing..
| Cause | Result |
|---|---|
| Neuromuscular causes | Some neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease or advanced dementia, can cause reduced tongue control and abnormal swallow reflexes. Neurological disorders like stroke, brain injury, and intracranial tumors can also cause reduced tongue control and swallowing issues. |
| Esophageal disorders | These conditions affect the throat and swallowing abilities. They include gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), dysphagia, and throat cancer. |
| Throat surgery | People who’ve had surgery or a condition that affects their larynx may have trouble swallowing. If the larynx doesn’t close tightly, food or liquids can enter the windpipe. |
| Dental problems | This can interfere with chewing or swallowing reflexes |
| Medical device in airway | People with a nasogastric tube, surgical opening in the windpipe (tracheostomy), feeding tube, or who’ve had procedures to examine the digestive tract, are also at high risk for aspiration. |
Risk factors
People with health problems that affect swallowing are at a higher risk of aspirating. These health conditions includeTrusted Source:
impaired consciousness
lung disease
seizure
stroke
dental problems
dementia
swallowing dysfunction
impaired mental status
certain neurologic diseases
radiation therapy to the head and neck
heartburn
GERD
have a neurological condition
recently had throat surgery
have throat cancer
have problems with chewing or swallowing
have a fever
have difficulty breathing
You should make an appointment to see a doctor if you have repeated symptoms that reflect difficulty swallowing, like:
pain while swallowing
choking
coughing up food
hoarseness
feeling like something is stuck in your throat
a fever higher than 100.4°F (38°C) degrees
Diagnosis
Your doctor will ask if you’ve experienced any symptoms of aspiration, including after eating. If there are no symptoms, they may do a modified barium swallow test, which looks at your esophagus.
During a barium swallow test, your doctor will ask you to swallow a liquid that shows up on the X-ray to help them determine whether you have any underlying swallowing disorders
Treatment
Treatment for aspiration depends on the cause.
For less severe cases, treatment may involve taking steps to stop aspiration from happening again. For some people, this may include:
- using straws
- eating small bites
- keeping proper posture while eating
- eating slowly
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