dys·pha·gia dis-'fā-j(ē-)ə n difficulty in swallowing
dys·phag·ic -'faj-ik adj
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n.
a condition in which the action of swallowing is either difficult to perform, painful (see odynophagia), or in which swallowed material seems to be held up in its passage to the stomach. It is caused by painful conditions of the mouth and throat, obstruction of the pharynx or oesophagus by diseases of the wall or pressure from outside, or by abnormalities in the neurological coordination of the muscular activity of the pharynx or oesophagus, as a result of such disorders as motor neurone disease or multiple sclerosis.
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dys·pha·gia (dis-faґje-ə) [dys- + phag- + -ia] difficulty in swallowing.Medical dictionary. 2011.