Short answer: difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) that lasts more than a week or two always needs to be checked, usually with an upper GI endoscopy. Most causes are treatable: narrowing from long-standing acid reflux, an allergic inflammation of the food pipe, or a muscle problem. But it can also be the first sign of cancer of the food pipe, which is more common in Northeast India than anywhere else in the country, so it should not be managed with acidity tablets alone.
On this page
Go to an emergency department now if:
- Food or a tablet is stuck and you cannot swallow even your own saliva
- You are choking, or breathless after food went down the wrong way
- You are vomiting blood or passing black stools — read what to do
In Guwahati: Hayat Hospital Emergency, Kahilipara, or the nearest hospital. Do not try to push the food down with more food or water.
See a gastroenterologist within days if you have
- Food sticking that is getting worse over weeks: first rice or meat, then soft food, then liquids
- Weight loss without trying
- Pain on swallowing
- A hoarse voice or a cough that started along with the swallowing problem
- New difficulty swallowing after the age of 45
- Long use of tobacco, betel nut (tamul) or alcohol
What causes it
| Cause | Typical story | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Narrowing from acid reflux (peptic stricture) | Years of heartburn, then solid food begins to stick | Acid-lowering medicine and endoscopic stretching (dilation) |
| Eosinophilic oesophagitis | Younger people, often with allergies or asthma; food suddenly gets stuck | Diagnosed by biopsy; treated with medicine, diet changes and sometimes dilation |
| Achalasia (the valve at the lower end does not relax) | Both solids and liquids stick; undigested food comes back up, often at night | Balloon dilation, keyhole surgery, or an endoscopic operation (POEM) at a centre that offers it |
| Cancer of the food pipe | Steadily worsening over weeks, with weight loss | Depends on the stage: surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy; a stent can restore swallowing |
| Throat and nerve problems | Trouble starting a swallow, coughing or choking with liquids; after a stroke or with Parkinson's disease | Assessed with ENT and neurology; swallowing therapy |
Tablets can also injure the food pipe if taken with too little water or just before lying down. Take tablets sitting upright with a full glass of water.
Why it matters more in the Northeast
India's cancer registries record their highest rates of cancer of the food pipe in the Northeast, including Kamrup (Guwahati), Meghalaya and Mizoram. Tobacco in any form, betel nut and alcohol are the main reasons. Caught early, this cancer can be cured; caught late, it is much harder to treat. That is the reason for a simple rule: difficulty swallowing means an endoscopy, not another month of acidity tablets.
How it is tested
- Consultation. Where the food sticks, what kind of food, how fast it has changed, and your weight tell a lot about the cause.
- Upper GI endoscopy. The main test. A thin flexible camera looks directly at the food pipe and stomach, and small biopsies are taken. It takes a few minutes and is usually done without sedation. How to prepare.
- Barium swallow X-ray. Sometimes added to show the shape of a narrowing or a problem with movement.
- Manometry. A pressure test of the food pipe, arranged when achalasia or another movement problem is suspected and the endoscopy is normal.
- CT scan or endoscopic ultrasound. Used to stage a growth if one is found. About EUS.
Treatment available here
- Dilation: a narrowing is gently stretched with a balloon or dilator during endoscopy. Several sessions may be needed.
- Stenting: a self-expanding metal tube placed across a tumour so that food can pass again.
- Feeding tube (PEG): placed through the stomach wall when safe swallowing is not possible for a long period.
- Medicines for reflux and for eosinophilic oesophagitis.
Dilation, stenting and PEG are done at Hayat Hospital. Stricture dilation or a PEG tube costs about ₹15,000; an upper GI endoscopy is ₹3,300 at Apollo Clinic and ₹4,000 at Hayat (full cost guide). Treatment that is not offered here, such as POEM for achalasia or surgery for cancer, is arranged by referral.
Food sticking for more than two weeks?
Book a consultation, or send any earlier endoscopy or scan reports on WhatsApp first.
Common questions
Is difficulty swallowing always cancer?
Which test is best for difficulty swallowing?
Can acidity cause difficulty swallowing?
Is dilation painful? How many sessions are needed?
I feel a lump in my throat but swallow food normally. Is that dysphagia?
Related
Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Mayank Agarwal, MBBS, MD (Medicine), DM (Gastroenterology) · Assam Medical Council Reg. No. 19633 · Last reviewed:
This page gives general information about difficulty swallowing. It does not replace a consultation — the right tests and treatment depend on your own reports and health. Please do not start or stop any medicine without advice.
Based on:
- ASGE Standards of Practice Committee. The role of endoscopy in the evaluation and management of dysphagia. Gastrointest Endosc 2014;79:191–201.
- Vaezi MF, et al. ACG Clinical Guidelines: Diagnosis and management of achalasia. Am J Gastroenterol 2020;115:1393–1411.
- Dellon ES, et al. ACG Clinical Guideline: Diagnosis and management of eosinophilic esophagitis. Am J Gastroenterol 2025;120:31–59.
- ICMR–National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research. Report of National Cancer Registry Programme 2012–2016. Bengaluru, 2020.