The elderly should be careful about choking while eating

As people get old, they will suffer from indigestion to varying degrees. Many elderly people even have difficulty swallowing, and they always choke on eating. This problem should not be underestimated. It is actually very dangerous for the elderly to choke. Many elderly people are killed by choking. Moreover, the choking of the elderly while eating may also be a signal of certain diseases of the body, so a high degree of vigilance must be aroused.

Typical case: The 73-year-old Francisco has a history of high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. He likes to eat while watching operas on TV. A few days ago, he was holding a bowl in his hand and watched the opera with enthusiasm. The bowl fell to the ground, and the rice in his mouth was swallowed before he chewed it up. He choked all of a sudden and suddenly couldn't speak. See your children. In this situation, he was immediately sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. Fortunately, he was rescued in a timely manner, and finally he was relieved. After the doctor asked about the medical history, it turned out that Francisco often choked on food, and he didn't care at all. Sometimes he was relieved temporarily by drinking a sip of water or moving around. But this time, under the dissuasion of the doctor, he underwent related examinations. He did not expect to be found reflux esophagitis. Everything was caused by his inattentive eating.

　　 Francisco This situation is not uncommon in clinical practice. I would like to remind the elderly that if choking often occurs while eating, it may be a disease of the esophagus. It is recommended to go to the hospital for an esophageal endoscopy as soon as possible to check whether they have esophagitis or gastroesophageal reflux disease.

　　Why are the elderly prone to choking?

　　 1. Poor chewing function: The elderly have lost their teeth due to loose teeth and decreased masticatory muscle function.

　　2. Swallowing movement disorder: The elderly swallowing cartilage activity is not as sensitive as before. Coupled with cerebrovascular disease and other reasons, it is easy to cause uncoordinated swallowing movement, which will cause food to fall into the trachea.

　　3. Excessive gastric acid secretion: Older people are prone to choking. Some are caused by excessive gastric acid secretion, which is directly related to diaphragmatic spasm, and some are also related to Helicobacter pylori infection.

4. Throat mucosal atrophy: The throat mucosa of the elderly gradually shrinks, the force is not enough when swallowing, and the trachea is not closed tightly, food will stray into the trachea, block the trachea or bronchus, and because it is a reflex action, when you feel it, you will choke happened.

5. Cerebrovascular disease factors: For patients with cerebral infarction, stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases, it is also easy to have swallowing reflex disorder, which makes the epiglottis atresia when food is swallowed, causing food to enter the trachea by mistake, so go to the hospital as soon as possible. CT examination to determine the cause and monitor changes in blood pressure.

　　 6. Systemic diseases and diseases of various organ systems: such as gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, chronic heart failure, chronic bronchitis, anemia, uremia, senile psychosis, etc., can cause choking and dysphagia.

　　 What will the elderly behave once they choke?

　　 There are 3 specific clinical manifestations of choking in the elderly:

　　 1. Suddenly unable to speak, and a painful expression of suffocation appeared.

　　 2. Grasp the neck or chest with your hands, and point your fingers to the mouth.

　　 3. The respiratory tract is obstructed, the breath is held, the face is flushed, coughing violently, and intermittent coughing with wheezing.

Therefore, when the elderly eat, it’s best to prepare a glass of warm water on the table. Once they choke and drink quickly, don’t help others. It’s safest to let him drink by himself, because he can accurately control the amount and action of drinking water. And speed.

　　The elderly should prevent choking, pay attention to seven points in daily life

　 1. The diet should be thicker, soft and semi-liquid, such as noodles, custard, porridge, etc., avoid greasy, nuts and spicy food.

　　 2. Talk less when eating, let alone laugh loudly, or watch TV to avoid distraction.

　　3. When eating glutinous rice food, be sure to divide the food into small bites, chew carefully before swallowing, and avoid a big bite at a time.

　　 4. Eat food with bones, don't be too impatient, and be careful in your mouth. If you wear dentures, they must be fixed, or they will shake or fall off, which will also affect the swallowing function.

　　5. The food should not be too big. For example, when cutting vegetables at home, the size can be smaller. The big glutinous rice balls can easily choke the elderly. When eating in a restaurant, you should eat slowly one bite at a time for larger dishes, and don’t be too rushed.

　　 6. When the head angle is downward, the tracheal opening is smaller, so keep your head down as much as possible when eating. Some elderly people are accustomed to taking medicine with their heads up, but they are more likely to choke.

　　7. Practice opening and closing the mouth, stretch the tongue, and smile more daily to train the oral and facial muscles.