What happens if food enters the respiratory tract?

Food or water if moved into the respiratory tract can enter the lungs, causing pneumonia.

We may have experienced the feeling of drinking water or swallowing food when suddenly choking, choking or suffocating. That's when food goes wrong , according to Mother Nature Network.

Regular food or water moves from the mouth, through the throat, down the esophagus and to the stomach. This process may seem simple, but in order to take action to swallow food, we must use about 30 muscles and nerves.

We use about 30 muscles and nerves when we swallow food.(Photo: Syda Productions).

On the path of the food, there is a leaf-shaped lid at the base of the tongue formed by a collection of tissues called the epiglottis . It prevents food from entering the windpipe when we are swallowing. At the same time, the tight vocal cords sealed the airway, the nail bones and the larynx were pulled upwards and moved forward, causing the esophagus to open. We will temporarily stop breathing during swallowing.

But sometimes the whole system does not work as expected, with the larynx and larynx cap not closed properly. A small amount of food or liquid that we swallow will go wrong, inhaled into the windpipe or lungs. Body reflexes are coughing, sometimes very violent coughs, to push foreign objects out of the airways.

The problem will become serious if food or water enters the lungs, causing pneumonia. Acidic foods or beverages like orange juice hurt the lungs the most.

Sometimes, we don't have a reflex cough or vomit immediately when food or liquid is entering the windpipe or lungs, leading to serious respiratory problems. This is more common in people with dysphagia . Dysphagia often occurs because our muscles become weak because of illness, injury or aging.