Title: Esophageal achalasia - Wikipedia
Headings: Esophageal achalasia
Esophageal achalasia
Contents
Signs and symptoms
Mechanism
Diagnosis
Barium swallow
Esophageal manometry
Biopsy
Treatment
Lifestyle changes
Medication
Pneumatic dilatation
Surgery
Endoscopic myotomy
Monitoring
Epidemiology
References
External links

Content: The term is from a- + -chalasia "no relaxation." Achalasia can also manifest alongside other diseases as a rare syndrome such as achalasia microcephaly. Contents
1 Signs and symptoms
2 Mechanism
3 Diagnosis
3.1 Barium swallow
3.2 Esophageal manometry
3.3 Biopsy
4 Treatment
4.1 Lifestyle changes
4.2 Medication
4.3 Pneumatic dilatation
4.4 Surgery
4.5 Endoscopic myotomy
4.6 Monitoring
5 Epidemiology
6 References
7 External links
Signs and symptoms
The main symptoms of achalasia are dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), regurgitation of undigested food, chest pain behind the sternum, and weight loss. Dysphagia tends to become progressively worse over time and to involve both fluids and solids. Some people may also experience coughing when lying in a horizontal position. The chest pain experienced, also known as cardiospasm and non-cardiac chest pain can often be mistaken for a heart attack. It can be extremely painful in some sufferers. Food and liquid, including saliva, are retained in the esophagus and may be inhaled into the lungs ( aspiration ). Mechanism
The cause of most cases of achalasia is unknown. LES pressure and relaxation are regulated by excitatory (e.g., acetylcholine, substance P) and inhibitory (e.g., nitric oxide, vasoactive intestinal peptide) neurotransmitters.