Diseases of the Esophagus

INTRODUCTION
Diseases of the esophagus can be commonly confused with the very common gastritis or gastric ulcer, which may have similar symptoms, but there are certain characteristics that differentiate the most common disease is "gastroesophageal reflux", all have felt at some point gastroesophageal reflux, there are conditions of our activity we produce gastroesophageal reflux as exercise, state of pregnancy, abundant food, overweight etc.
 
What are the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux?
People who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux, the most common symptom is regurgitation is the feeling that food is eaten after returning, most often the symptoms of patients with postural changes is controlled by, another symptom is pain behind the chest a burning sensation called heartburn.
 
There are other symptoms that may appear to confuse the patient about the origin of these patients get up at midnight, when they are asleep, on a continuous coughing, chest pain and after a medical evaluation by the cardiologist who has been discarded derived from the heart, or repeated inflammation of the pharynx, are symptoms that may be due to an undiagnosed gastroesophageal reflux.
 
 
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES gastroesophageal reflux?
 
There are basically 3:
 
1. At the junction of the esophagus and stomach is a muscle that acts as a valve to prevent the stomach contents back up into the esophagus, this muscle is called the cardia or lower esophageal sphincter, this muscle's inability to complete the effect is the Valve main cause of Pathological Reflux Gastroeosfagico approximately 60% of cases. The function of these muscles is measured by special tests that are described later.
 
2. The failure of proper movement of the esophagus, the esophagus is a muscular tube that is responsible for transporting food from the pharynx to the stomach, the failure to perform this function is a cause of reflux, diseases affecting the salivary glands, or smooth muscle fibers , among others, are capable of disrupting the function of the esophagus.
 
3. Patients who for some reason, the movements of the stomach is reduced, which makes the pressure inside the stomach increases and as a result it can back up into the esophagus, the disease more common with this problem are those suffering from Diabetes.
 
 
HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED gastroesophageal reflux?
There are several studies that patients with suspected gastroesophageal reflux should be performed,
 
A. Radiological studies, such as gastro-esophagus is the most traditional is done and we can show alterations at the junction of the esophagus to the stomach, does not have a very high specificity should therefore be supplemented by others.
 
B. Endoscopy can reveal no injury in the final portion of the esophagus such as inflammation, ulcers, stenosis, we show that the content comes from the stomach that has damaged portion of the esophagus, also perform a biopsy of that area can give us information such as disease Barrett's esophagus.
 
C. Manometry is not more than a study that measures the muscle function of the esophagus and cardia or lower and upper esophageal sphincter, this study will inform us whether the cardia is the ability to prevent the contents of the stomach back up into the esophagus and assessing the role of the esophagus.
 
D. The pH of 24 hours, this is a study that involves placing a small tube through the nose to the esophagus and was kept in that position for a period of 24 hours the patient is informed by his normal daily activity The information that is collected by the small tube at its end that has a sensor and that stores information on a device, this information helps us to diagnose the most accurate way for a person suffering from Pathological gastroesophageal reflux, is the method of diagnosis more specific to conclude that a person suffering from this disease.
 
 
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT?
Approximately 80 to 90% of patients with gastroesophageal reflux do well with medical treatment and hygiene diet, so there are several stages that a patient must be diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux:
 
Phase 1 was ordered special measures such as raising the head of the bed to achieve an effect of gravity, no sleep after eating, food elimination diet with irritants such as alcohol, coffee, spices, other substances such as snuff to be avoided, in turn indicated medication to control the amount of acid secreted in the stomach and esophagus to improve the movement and try to restore the competence of the lower esophageal sphincter.
 
If these measures fail to control the disease after a period of not less than 8 to 10 weeks should be considered a surgical treatment.
 
The surgical treatment which is performed by laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery aims to correct the alterations that have been checked with the diagnostic methods described above, ie whether the cause of gastroesophageal reflux is an incompetence of the cardia or lower esophageal sphincter, anger surgery to restore this function as a minimally invasive surgery postoperative discomfort is very little time of hospitalization after surgery is not more than 48 hours, the pain is minimal and that the wounds are small.

 

 

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