Dysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing. Swallow differences can be congenital, or occurring since birth such as Down syndrome or a celft palate. Most often dysphagia is acquired somewhere along the lifespan as a result of injury, illness or dietary behaviors.
Each year, approximately one in 25 adults will experience a swallowing problem in the United States (Bhattacharyya, 2014). Dysphagia cuts across so many diseases and age groups that its true prevalence in adult populations is not fully known and is often underestimated.
