to sub-epithelial fibrosis. Prevention Good nutrition with adequate intake of iron may prevent this disorder. Good nutrition should also include balanced diet and exercise. Treatment Treatment is primarily aimed at correcting the iron-deficiency anemia. Patients with Plummer–Vinson syndrome should receive iron supplementation in their diet. This may improve dysphagia and pain. If not, the web can be dilated with esophageal bougies during upper endoscopy to allow normal swallowing and passage of food. There is risk of perforation of the esophagus with the use of dilators for treatment. Prognosis Patients generally respond well to treatment. Iron supplementation usually resolves the anemia, and corrects the glossodynia (tongue pain). Plummer-Vinson syndrome is one of the risk factors for developing squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, esophagus, and hypopharynx. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma risk is also increased; therefore, it is considered a premalignant condition. Epidemiology PVS is an extremely rare condition, though its exact prevalence is unknown. While it is becoming less common in developed countries, the condition is increasingly found in developing countries, particularly in Asia. However, it is very rarely seen in African countries, despite the relatively high prevalence of iron deficiency. History The disease is named after two Americans working at the Mayo Clinic -- the physician Henry Stanley Plummer and the surgeon Porter Paisley Vinson. It is occasionally known as Paterson-Kelly or Paterson-Brown Kelly syndrome in the UK, after Derek Brown-Kelly and Donald Ross Paterson. However, Plummer–Vinson syndrome is still the most commonly used name. See also List of hematologic conditions References External links Nutritional anemias Esophagus disorders Syndromes affecting blood Rare diseases Syndromes affecting the gastrointestinal tract