What does the word achalasia mean?
Overview. 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 type of disease is achalasia?
Achalasia is a rare disorder in which damaged nerves in your esophagus prevent it from working as it should. Muscles at the lower end of your esophagus fail to allow food to enter your stomach. Symptoms include trouble swallowing, heartburn and chest pain.
What causes achalasia to occur?
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.
How serious is achalasia?
The aspiration of saliva and food contents by people with achalasia may cause pneumonia, other pulmonary infections, or even death. The incidence of esophageal cancer is significantly increased in patients with achalasia.
What is the best treatment for achalasia?
Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy and Fundoplication The most effective treatment for achalasia is Heller myotomy (esophagomyotomy), a procedure in which the muscle fibers of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) are divided.
What are the stages of achalasia?
Radiologically the condition has been clinically divided into stages where early achalasia (esophageal diameter <4 cm) moderate achalasia (esophageal diameter 4–6 cm), and severe achalasia (esophageal diameter >6 cm) are present with their respective symptom patterns.
What is achalasia microcephaly syndrome?
Achalasia microcephaly syndrome is a rare condition whereby achalasia in the oesophagus manifests alongside microcephaly and mental retardation. This is a rare constellation of symptoms with a predicted familial trend.
What is achalasia and what causes it?
Achalasia is a disorder of the esophagus that prevents normal swallowing. Achalasia affects the esophagus, the tube that carries swallowed food from the back of the throat down into the stomach. A ring of muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter encircles the esophagus just above the entrance to the stomach.
What are the causes of microcephaly?
There are both genetic and behavioural causes of microcephaly. Achalasia, or oesophageal achalasia, is a disorder occurring in the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES). The LES fails to relax completely, resulting in frequent vomiting and regurgitation, usually one to two hours after meals.
What is the pathophysiology of esophageal achalasia?
sup][1] Esophageal achalasia is a comparatively rare disease which usually presents with esophageal motility dysfunction characterized by failure of esophageal peristalsis and lack of relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter.