**1. Introduction**

Dysphagia, as described in different sections of this book, is referred to as any difficulty in swallowing and deglutition. It could happen in the oral, pharyngeal, or esophageal phases. Any disturbance from the cortex to the involved muscle could interfere with easy and successful swallowing.

Neuroinflammatory disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) consist of a relatively heterogeneous group of diseases that share the autoimmune activity against different parts of the system. The trigger is not clearly determined, but a wide range of genetic and environmental factors are suggested. Both cellular and humoral immune responses could be affected. Each disease in this category has a predilection to specific areas of the CNS. However, exceptions are not rare and generally, any part of the CNS could get involved. This variability results in miscellaneous presentations. Swallowing problems could happen in many of these cases. This could be due to lesions in the cortex affecting deglutition muscles, sensory pathway disturbance, or impaired swallowing reflexes. Cognitive dysfunction may further complicate the situation. Its effect on the patients' quality of life is undeniable. It could be an important cause of morbidity and mortality (**Table 1**).

In this chapter, we will review this underestimated but still an important cause of deglutition problems.

*Multiple sclerosis Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD) Autoimmune encephalitis*


#### **Table 1.**

*Inflammatory diseases of the CNS with dysphagia.*
