Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

esophageal sphincter

March 18, 2015 | 30,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

My wife has been experiencing difficulties swallowing for several hours. There is swelling under her tongue, and the left side of her neck is also swollen. Could this be related to the swallowing muscle?

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good evening,

Please bring your wife immediately to the emergency medical service (available at Tel. 116117). Swelling under the tongue can be a sign of an allergic reaction, which can later lead to difficulty breathing.

There is no "swallowing muscle"; the act of swallowing is initiated by many different muscles and then further carried out by automated movement of the esophagus.

In addition to an allergic reaction, a bacterial infection is also possible if by "Halskette" you mean the side of the neck (a word recognition error of the phone?). This could also be identified and treated accordingly in the emergency service.

Under no circumstances should one passively wait for the night, during which both conditions could worsen significantly.

I wish her all the best!

Sincerely, Dr. Höllering