Dysphagia induced by chronic ingestion of benzodiazepine

We report a case of a 57-yr-old woman with a complaint of dysphagia of 2-wk duration. She had rheumatoid arthritis and had been taking 10 mg of prednisone and 2 mg of lorazepam daily for 2 yr. Radiologic examination showed partial retention of barium sulfate in the pharynx, which was confirmed by scintigraphic examination of the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing. This retention was about 47% of the volume swallowed. The benzodiazepine was withdrawn, and 2 wk later she had no symptoms. We repeated the scintigraphic study, and it showed no retention. We conclude that chronic ingestion of benzodiazepine may cause dysphagia.