This review is about dysphagia, which is a collective term for all types of difficulty in swallowing. The causes behind are numerous, and the symptoms can be divided into oropharyngeal and oesophageal dysphagia. In the elderly population, the symptoms result in a thorough investigation, as it may be the first sign of underlying malignant disease. If malignant disease is not confirmed, the patient may be referred to the initial doctor. It is therefore important to know, that there is a large range of aetiologies and investigative possibilities of non-malignant dysphagia.