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Achalasia |
Details
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Achalasia is a medical condition, in which muscle and nerve control in the esophagus is abnormal, which causes problems with opening of the lower esophageal sphincter. The patient with achalasia experiences difficulty swallowing, painful eating and food not going into the stomach as it should. Difficulty of swallowing and inability of the lower esophageal sphincter to open as swallowed food nears, causes pain in the esophagus as it enlarges to accommodate swallowed food that remains in the esophagus too long. Achalasia may occur in people of any age, but most likely it may develop between the ages of 20’s and 40’s. At the beginning, the symptoms are almost not noticeable, but the condition develops over period of months to a year. Achalasia usually causes chocking, pneumonia, and silent aspiration. This medical condition increases the risk for esophageal cancer, with near 5% of the people with achalasia who develop such cancer. The symptoms of achalasia include: pain in the esophagus, vomiting, indigestion, regurgitation, and weight loss. Treatment starts with changes in diet, which consist of small frequent meals, drinking large amount of fluid with food, avoiding extremes in food temperature, eating and chewing slowly. People with achalasia should avoid such food as bony fish, fibrous meats, tart foods and juices, dry or crisp food, thinly pureed foods, sticky peanut butter or banana, spicy or acidic food, which may damage the irritated esophageal tissue. Drugs may help the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax and open. Surgical treatment involves weakening the lower esophageal sphincter, but they may result in reflux. One type of surgery widens the sphincter and forces it to open by inflating a balloon placed down through the esophagus. This technique works for approx. 40% of patients with this disease, although they may need the dilation operation repeated. A new improved treatment, injection of botulinum toxin into the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), is showing promising results, as effective as the dilation procedure. Scientists think that more studies are needed to see long-term effects, both for safety and effectiveness. In case, where both of these techniques fail, a doctor should cut the muscle in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The success rate for this type of operation is approx 85%, but about 15% of individuals will have reflux as result.
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| Category |
Disease Conditions > A
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| Related Searches |
esophageal achalasia, alternative medicine and achalasia |
| Date Submitted |
02-Oct-2005
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