A number of diseases which tend to become more common with advancing age influence the likelihood of developing swallowing difficulties, including:
- Malignant or benign tumours – particularly of the neck or upper gastrointestinal tract
- Stroke - in the early stages of a stroke or TIA nearly 80% of patients will have some sort of swallowing problem or dysphagia [3]
- Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Motor Neurone disease - almost half of Parkinson’s disease patients show some degree of dysphagia [4]
- Chronic Type 2 diabetes – oesophageal motility declines as the duration of diabetes mellitus increases [5]
Medication side effects can contribute to swallowing difficulties by influencing gastrointestinal motility including:
- Some antidepressants
- Some agents with anticholinergic actions
- Opioids
- Calcium antagonists
Patients prescribed the following drugs are likely to be more prone to xerostomia (dry mouth due to a lack of saliva) [2]:
- Certain beta-blockers e.g. carvedilol
- Some diuretics e.g. amiloride, triamterene
- Tricyclic antidepressants e.g. amitriptyline, dosulepin
- Other antidepressants e.g. fluoxetine
- Antihistamines e.g. chlorphenamine, promethazine
- Certain antipsychotics e.g. chlorpromazine, haloperidol
- Antimuscarinic drugs e.g. hyoscine, ipratropium
A study of 600 older people found that 33% took at least one medication that could induce xerostomia [6], which is often linked to swallowing difficulties.