Title: Disorders of the Esophagus - About GI Motility
Headings: Disorders of the Esophagus
Disorders of the Esophagus
Dysphagia
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Content: When we swallow, the LES opens up (the muscle relaxes) so that the food we swallow can enter the stomach. Difficulty swallowing liquids or solids, heartburn, regurgitation, and atypical (or non-cardiac) chest pain may be symptoms of an esophageal motility disorder. Examples of motility disorders of the esophagus that are described below include gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), dysphagia, achalasia, and functional chest pain. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
The most common symptom that occurs in the esophagus is heartburn. It happens when stomach contents washes up into the esophagus repeatedly (gastroesophageal reflux) and irritates the lining of the esophagus. This occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not work properly. This can be due to a weak sphincter muscle, too-frequent spontaneous relaxations of the sphincter, or hiatal hernia. Hiatal hernia means that the stomach pushes up into the chest above the sheet of muscle that separates the abdomen from the chest (this muscle sheet is called the diaphragm). A hiatal hernia weakens the sphincter. Read More about GERD
Dysphagia
Dysphagia means ineffective swallowing.