aphagia

Thân thiện

A patient with aphagia cannot swallow a spoonful of applesauce.

Definition

Noun: * Loss of the ability to swallow: A medical condition characterized by the inability or difficulty in swallowing food, liquids, or saliva.

Usage

• "Aphagia" is a specialized medical term. It is used in clinical, neurological, and geriatric contexts to describe a severe symptom or condition.
• It is often contrasted with dysphagia, which means swallowing, whereas "aphagia" typically implies a complete or near-complete inability.
• The term is used to discuss symptoms, diagnoses, and the impact of various diseases.

Examples

• The stroke resulted in aphagia, requiring the patient to be fed through a tube.
• A common cause of aphagia is damage to the nerves that control the swallowing muscles.
• The neurologist noted the progression from dysphagia to aphagia in the patient's records.

Advanced Usage

• Clinical Assessment: "Aphagia" is a critical finding in a neurological exam and often necessitates immediate intervention to prevent aspiration and malnutrition.
• Etiological Context: The term is frequently preceded by a descriptor indicating the cause, e.g., or .

Variants and Related Words

• Dysphagia (noun): Difficulty in swallowing. (This is a related but distinct condition, often a precursor to aphagia).
• Aphagic (adjective): Relating to or suffering from aphagia.
  • The patient was in an aphagic state.

Synonyms

• Swallowing inability: A more descriptive, non-technical phrase.
• Deglutition failure: A formal, clinical synonym using the Latinate term for swallowing.

Antonyms

• Normal deglutition: Normal swallowing.
• Euphagia: (A rarely used constructed antonym meaning "normal/easy swallowing," primarily found in specialized medical literature).

Học thuật

Noun

1. loss of the ability to swallow