MDF Cooks 09-2014

According to the Myotonic Dystrophy Family Registry, over 50 percent of adults with DM1 report experiencing some degree of swallowing difficulty. The difficulty may occur in any of the three stages of swallowing: oral, pharyngeal, or esophageal. The oral stage involves the biting and chewing of food as it is mixed with saliva into a bolus. A bolus is anything swallowed, whether it is solid, semi-solid, or liquid. The next stage of swallowing, pharyngeal, begins when the swallowing reflex is triggered and moves the bolus from the back of the throat to the upper esophagus. The final stage of swallowing, esophageal, moves the bolus along the upper esophagus and down into the stomach, where the process of digestion continues.

Dysphagia is a common disease symptom. Many people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and other medical conditions also experience swallowing difficulties. Dysphagia can lead to nutritional deficiencies. The American Dietetic Association published The National Dysphagia Diet (NDD) to help guide those experiencing dysphagia and their caregivers with best practices for meeting nutritional needs.