Choking When Eating

About the Symptom

Choking is a symptom in which a person's throat is suddenly blocked by food or liquid during a meal, which makes them unable to breathe.

When to See a Doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

• Choking while eating

Possible Causes

Generally, Choking when eating can be related to:

• Polymyositis / Dermatomyositis

  These are inflammatory conditions of the body's connective tissues. In polymyositis, muscle fibers become inflamed, leading to weakness. In dermatomyositis, both muscle as well as skin are involved leading to a very characteristic facial rash. There is no clear cause for these conditions.

• Tracheomalacia

  Tracheomalacia literally translates to floppy airway (trachea) and happens when the tissues of the airway instead of being rigid and stiff, are weak and floppy, causing breathing difficulties. This can be due to intrinsic issues with tissues (cartilage) of the windpipe (trachea) itself or due to something in the chest pushing on the airway such as a blood vessel. As there are highly variable severities and types of tracheomalacia, the symptoms vary greatly as well.

• Vocal Cord Paralysis

  A condition in which the nerves that supply the vocal cords are damaged, causing poor movement (paresis) or complete absence of movement (paralysis). If presenting in infancy, it can be either due to conditions affecting the brain or brainstem where the nerves exit the skull or due to surgery on the heart or lesions in the chest. Surgery on the neck, especially the thyroid gland, can also damage the nerves. Viral infections and intubation can also cause injury to the vocal folds or nerves.

• Common Cold (Upper Respiratory Tract Infection)
• Cough Variant Asthma
• Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Related Serious Diseases

Sometimes, Choking when eating may be related to these serious diseases:

• Foreign Body in Bronchus

  Foreign bodies can become lodged in the airway. The trachea, or windpipe, is part of the airway and divides into the right and left bronchus, which connect to the lungs.

• Pneumonia (Lower Respiratory Tract Infection)

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:

• Do you have difficulty swallowing food?
• How long have you had difficulty swallowing or choking while eating?

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