Because of all the different types of nerve damage in MS,swallowing symptoms are quite variable. Both spasticity (too much stiffness in the muscles) and ataxia (incoordination)may contribute to swallowing problems. There may be slowness of movement or incoordination of movement during the oral stage of swallowing (chewing the food and moving it back to the throat). It may be difficult to swallow food easily, causing the feeling of food "sticking" in your throat.
Other problems that may go along with MS such as urinary tract infections and fever, may cause decomposition, that is, a big reduction of abilities in other areas. Sometimes this happens with swallowing. If a person who has been swallowing fine catches a sever infection, it may result in temporary difficulties in swallowing. Some people who experience cognititive (thinking) changes may have difficulty swallowing because of changes in judgment. They may take bites that are too big or choose foods that are difficult to chew and swallow. Sensory problems, such as lack of feeling or pain, may interfere with swallowing.
When MS is severe, lessened ability to take air into the lungs and weakness of the vocal folds (voice box) may cause a week and inefficient cough. This makes it hard to cough out food or drink that goes down "the wrong pipe". It is important to be aware that this may be a problem because food or drink getting into the lungs can cause pneumonia.