Eat or choke: Don't belittle

This is an automatically translated article.

Swallowing is a phenomenon that can occur in most people, but is most common in the elderly. Swallowing can be caused by dysfunction of the oesophagus, but it can also be caused by a number of other conditions. If you eat or choke, you need to see a doctor to find out the cause and timely treatment.

1. What is choking?

When you eat, food moves from your mouth through your throat, down your esophagus, and then into your stomach. Food is first chewed and crushed in the mouth, then pushed out the back of the throat. Here the food will stimulate the receptors that cause the swallowing reflex to push the food through the pharynx down the esophagus.
At this time, thanks to the rhythmic contraction of the esophageal muscles, the food will be pushed down to the stomach. Normally this process goes smoothly, but for some reason the food is temporarily stopped or blocked in transit, thereby causing swallowing. Choking is not a disease, it is just a symptom of various diseases.
Swallowing can happen to anyone, but is most common in the elderly. In the elderly, the coordination of functions in the throat when swallowing or loss of rhythmic control, makes it easy for food to fall into the trachea, from which the victim often coughs and chokes.
On the other hand, the swallowing reflex of the esophageal sphincter in the elderly is very slow, even with the phenomenon of 'inertness'. They are just a little distracted such as thinking while eating or eating quickly, eating quickly, swallowing large pieces of food will easily be blocked in the narrow segment of the esophagus due to physiological or pathological causes.

2. Causes of choking

2.1. Swallowing due to dysfunctional contractions of the esophagus There are many causes of dysfunctional contractions of the esophagus, causing you to choke, such as:
Eating in a hurry, not chewing properly, or swallowing large pieces of food. Due to the nature of food, especially solid, chewy, mucilaginous and sticky foods, it is easy to lead to swallowing dysfunction. Stressful mental state, resentment or anger while eating can also lead to esophageal spasm, causing choking. The contractile reflex of the esophagus is disturbed, causing food and drink to temporarily stop moving, stuck in the throat or esophagus, causing choking.
2.2. Swallowing caused by Graves' disease Diseases in the esophagus such as scarring that narrow the esophagus are often sequelae left after esophageal burns. Esophageal burns can be caused by heat but are very common due to ingestion of chemicals such as alkalis and acids. This condition is common in children, sometimes it can also be seen in adults due to carelessness in living and working.
Esophageal tumors: Most commonly esophageal cancer, but can also be benign. Esophageal cancer is the most common cause of choking in adults. In addition, there are other diseases in the esophagus that cause swallowing difficulties, such as: esophagitis, esophageal foreign body, esophageal diverticulum, gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Extraesophageal diseases: Graves' disease, simple goiter with large size causing esophageal compression, bronchial and lung tumors, tumors, mediastinal lymph node metastasis, heart failure, ventricular hypertrophy, Enlarged heart, aneurysm are all causes of esophageal compression leading to choking.

3. What are the symptoms of choking?

Food can cause a blockage in the throat, esophagus, windpipe, or both. If food blocks your esophagus, suddenly you find it difficult to swallow, try to swallow, hiccup, or vomit while eating. When food may move into the trachea by reflex, the epiglottis opens. At this point, you will cough and choke, not speak, depending on the level you may have difficulty breathing or even choke.
If food obstructs the trachea, suddenly you find it difficult to breathe, your face turns purple and then purple, your face becomes lethargic, hiccups. If not treated promptly and appropriately, within minutes, severe, acute hypoxia can lead to death.

4. Emergency treatment methods when meeting someone who is choking

Because the trachea is blocked, breathing oxygen through the nose and throat is ineffective. Need to give first aid to the patient on the spot, take advantage of every moment, the goal is to open the trachea, and at the same time call everyone and the doctor to come to support.
In case the choking person remains awake. Have the patient sit, leaning slightly forward, telling them to cough forcefully. When coughing, it will create a flow of air that pushes food out of the respiratory tract or at least creates an opening for breathing. You can stand in the back, use your hands to hit 4 times in a row on the back between the shoulder blades.
You can also stand behind, so that the victim leans forward slightly, you hug the victim's abdomen, lock both hands, then squeeze the upper abdomen 4 times in the direction of the victim's mouth. Do this several times to push food out of the trachea, epiglottis, or create an opening to restore respiratory function.
If the victim is choking while unconscious, you need to put the victim on his side. As for you, use one hand to press the victim's tongue down, use the other hand to hit 4 times on the back, about between the shoulder blades.
The second way, you let the victim lie on his back, his head is tilted back, you can rest your elbows or you can put your hands on the victim's stomach, push 4 times inward and upward. The goal is still to create a flow of air from the lungs, push out the blockage, clear the airway.
If the victim is choking on solid, slimy, sticky food such as floating cake, cake, etc., in addition to the above first aid method, you need to let the victim lie on his side, use two fingers to hook or clamp the food that is damaged. pull out switch. Just creating a gap to restore respiratory function can save the life of the victim.

5. How to prevent choking

According to statistics, almost all elderly people choke to varying degrees. But fortunately, choking is completely preventable if you pay attention to the following points:
Eat slowly: Often the elderly eat "not much", so eat slowly, eat slowly, chew thoroughly. , do not be in a hurry, do not urge the elderly to eat quickly. At the same time, the function of the teeth and gums in the elderly is only less than 50% of that of young people, so eat slowly. Concentrate when eating and drinking: the elderly and young people should not talk while eating, should not be absorbed in thinking and do not be upset when sitting at the table. Everyone should sit at the table when the mind is at ease. Stress, anxiety, anger make you lose your appetite, easily causing swallowing disorders. On the contrary, eating can also be a way to relax the mind and reduce anxiety. Eat small pieces and swallow small pieces, swallow slowly, to enjoy the flavor and taste of each dish. At home, it is advisable to make small portions of food for the elderly. In all situations, you should use a knife or scissors to cut food into small pieces or "skip" hard, large pieces. In case you eat or choke, this situation repeats many times, swallowing gradually increases, you need to see a doctor to find the cause and treat it promptly.
If lesions in the esophagus are suspected, the doctor will conduct an esophagoscopy, biopsy the tumor tissue (if any) to make a pathology to confirm the diagnosis. If extraesophageal damage is suspected, the doctor will perform an X-ray, CT scan, MRI, or a combination of bronchoscopy and other necessary tests to find the exact cause. Depending on the cause of your choking, your doctor will recommend the right treatment for your condition. Here are the reasons for choking or eating. However, you should note that, if this case lasts for a long time, affecting eating and drinking, at this time you should go to medical facilities to be checked by a doctor for appropriate indications.
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