What is the Difference Between Dysphagia and Odynophagia

The key difference between dysphagia and odynophagia is that dysphagia is a medical condition that causes difficulty swallowing without hurting, while odynophagia is a medical condition that causes painful swallowing.

Dysphagia and odynophagia are two medical conditions that involve swallowing problems. However, they are different conditions with different causes. Dysphagia refers to the sensation of something obstructing the throat or chest, hindering swallowing, whereas odynophagia is the term used for experiencing pain or a burning sensation in the throat or breastbone when swallowing.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Dysphagia 
3. What is Odynophagia
4. Similarities – Dysphagia and Odynophagia
5. Dysphagia vs. Odynophagia in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Dysphagia vs. Odynophagia

What is Dysphagia?

Dysphagia is known as difficulty in swallowing. This condition causes individuals to experience a sensation of an obstruction in their throat or chest, leading to difficulties in swallowing. There are two types of dysphagia; esophageal dysphagia and oropharyngeal dysphagia. The symptoms of dysphagia may include the sensation of foods getting stuck in the throat or chest, food and drink entering the nose or airways, frequent regurgitation, choking or coughing when eating and drinking, and voice becoming hoarse in nature. The causes of dysphagia may include compression from a tumor growing in the chest, structural damage to the nerves in the area, and muscles in the area that are weak or stretched out. Dysphagia can lead to complications such as malnutrition, weight loss, dehydration, aspiration pneumonia, and choking.

Dysphagia can be diagnosed through physical examination, barium X-ray, dynamic swallowing study, endoscopy, fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), manometry, and imaging scans such as X-ray, CT scan, and MRI. Furthermore, dysphagia is treated through learning exercises, swallowing techniques, esophageal dilation, surgery, medication to reduce stomach acids, and a special diet.

What is Odynophagia?

Odynophagia is a condition that refers to painful swallowing. The symptoms of this condition may include pain or burning sensation when swallowing, heaviness in the chest, pressure when swallowing, and the feeling that food is stuck in the throat or chest. Odynophagia is generally caused by viral or bacterial infections, thrush, inflammation, spasms in the esophagus, reflux, ulcers in the area, weakened immune system, Candida infection, tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drug usage, and drinking very hot or cold drinks.

Moreover, odynophagia is usually diagnosed through physical examination and endoscopy. Treatments for odynophagia may include managing the underline causes such as infections, acid reflux, pain relief medications, avoiding alcohol and tobacco, eating soft food and chewing longer, using throat sprays to numb the throat, surgeries, and radiotherapy for cancer.

What are the Similarities Between Dysphagia and Odynophagia?

• Dysphagia and odynophagia are two swallowing disorders.
• Both conditions can cause pain, coughing, and choking.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and endoscopy.
• They are treated through specific techniques, medication, and surgery.

What is the Difference Between Dysphagia and Odynophagia?

Dysphagia is a medical condition that causes difficulty swallowing, while odynophagia is a medical condition that causes painful swallowing. Thus, this is the key difference between dysphagia and odynophagia. Furthermore, dysphagia can be caused by the compression from a tumor growing in the chest, structural damage to the nerves in the area, and muscles in the area which are weak or stretched out. On the other hand, odynophagia can be caused by viral or bacterial infections, thrush, inflammation, spasms in the esophagus, reflux, ulcers in the area, weakened immune system, Candida infection, tobacco, alcohol or illegal drug usage and drinking very hot or cold drinks.

The infographic below presents the differences between dysphagia and odynophagia in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Dysphagia vs. Odynophagia

Swallowing is a complex process that requires multiple muscles to work together to help swallow foods and drinks. Problems in one or more of the swallowing steps can make it difficult or painful to swallow. This leads to swallowing disorders. Dysphagia and odynophagia are two swallowing disorders. Dysphagia causes difficulty swallowing, while odynophagia causes pain or a burning sensation while swallowing. So, this summarizes the difference between dysphagia and odynophagia.

Reference:

1.“Dysphagia (Difficulty Swallowing): Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. Cherney, Kristeen. “Odynophagia: Symptoms, Treatment, Causes and More.” Healthline.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Swallow food” By Boumphreyfr – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia