What is achalasia and how is it treated?
Achalasia treatment focuses on relaxing or stretching open the lower esophageal sphincter so that food and liquid can move more easily through your digestive tract. Specific treatment depends on your age, health condition and the severity of the achalasia.
How do you describe achalasia?
Achalasia is a rare disorder that makes it difficult for food and liquid to pass from the swallowing tube connecting your mouth and stomach (esophagus) into your stomach. Achalasia occurs when nerves in the esophagus become damaged.
What is the cause of achalasia?
What causes achalasia? In most cases, it’s caused by loss of the nerve cells that control the swallowing muscles in the esophagus. Healthcare providers don’t yet know why these nerve cells are lost. In rare cases, achalasia is caused by a tumor.
What are the complications of achalasia?
What are possible complications of achalasia?
- Aspiration pneumonia. This is caused when food or liquids in your esophagus back up into your throat and you breathe them into your lungs.
- Esophageal perforation. This is a hole in the esophagus.
- Esophageal cancer.
What are complications of achalasia?
Typical symptoms of achalasia are dysphagia, regurgitation, chest pain, and weight loss. Although retention esophagitis, which is a complication of achalasia and leads to dysplasia of the esophageal mucosa, should be considered precancerous, there are no guidelines on cancer screening.
What are the risk factors of achalasia?
Who is at risk for achalasia?
- Having certain genes.
- Having a problem with your immune system that causes it to attack nerve cells in your esophagus.
- Having herpes simplex virus or other viral infections.
- Having Chagas disease. This is an infection caused by a parasite.
What is achalasia syndrome?
INTRODUCTION Achalasia is a primary esophageal motor disorder of unknown etiology characterized by degeneration of the myenteric plexus, which results in impaired relaxation of the esophagogastric junction (EGJ), along with the loss of organized peristalsis in the esophageal body.
What are the outcomes of achalasia treatment?
treatment success such as changes in lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure or timed barium emptying, and when these are provided, the definition of success may also vary. Finally, a very important outcome from the perspective of adverse effects of achalasia therapies is the development of GERD, the definition of which differs across studies, and
Is there a guideline on achalasia related to the poem procedure?
218GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPYVolume 91, No. 2 : 2020 www.giejournal.org ASGE guideline on the management of achalasia related to the POEM procedure are rare, and most intra-
What is the primary treatment for pediatric achalasia?
and endoscopic balloon dilation for primary treatment of pediatric achalasia. J Pediatr Surg 2016;51:1613-8. 149. Sanaka MR, Hayat U, Thota PN, et al. Efficacy of peroral endoscopic myotomy vs other achalasia treatments in improving esophageal function. World J Gastroenterol 2016;22:4918-25. 150.