In a definition essay, you explain the meaning of a certain term by giving a detailed description of it, and support your definition with clear examples or facts. Such explanations are needed if a term is special, abstract, disputed or does not have a common meaning.
Dysphagia may be caused by traumatic injuries to the head, neck, or chest and result from accidents or iatrogenic causes. In the latter category, both planned and inadvertent injuries to cranial nerves are common. Many accident victims have involvement of multiple sites.
Obstructions of the upper digestive tract and esophagus, due to anatomical abnormalities, tumors, or scar tissue also cause dysphagia. Examples include: 1  esophageal cancer; 2  esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus) though the symptom of esophagitis is more commonly odynophagia; 3  certain head and neck cancers;