Pattern of dysphagia in Calabar

ABSTRACT

A retrospective study of dysphagia in 55 children; aged between six months and 12 years (mean age 4.3 years) in Calabar; has revealed foreign body impaction in the throat to be the commonest cause; occurring in 40.0 percent of the cases. Children; aged between five and 10 years; were commonly involved in foreign body impaction which was caused by coins and food (meat and fish bones) in 31.8 and 27.3 percent respectively; of the 22 cases. Oesophageal stricture due to accidental ingestion of caustic soda was found in 14.5 percent of the cases and involved children in the age group; six to eight years. The cause of dysphagia was however; unknown in 25.5 percent of the patients. Malnutrition (56.4 percent) and aspiration pneumonia (27.3 percent) were the major complications in the series. It is concluded that most of the causes of dysphagia in the series are preventable