Symptoms and diagnosis of functional dysphagia

Functional dysphagia is defined as the presence of the sensation of dysphagia (feeling of food getting stuck or passing through the oesophagus abnormally) for at least 6 months, which cannot be attributed to another causeRome Foundation Inc., 2016.

Differential diagnoses can vary with age but include eosinophilic oesophagitis, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, achalasia, ineffective oesophageal peristalsis, or oesophageal structural or motility abnormalities. Structural and motility causes can be excluded using upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, barium swallow or oesophageal manometryBaumann, 2016 Oesophageal malignancy should have been excluded before the diagnosis is considered.