What is esophageal dysphagia?
Esophageal dysphagia refers to the sensation of food sticking or getting hung up in the base of your throat or in your chest after you’ve started to swallow. Some of the causes of esophageal dysphagia include: Achalasia.
What is elderly dysphagia?
Dysphagia (swallowing difficulty) is a growing health concern in our aging population. Age-related changes in swallowing physiology as well as age-related diseases are predisposing factors for dysphagia in the elderly. In the US, dysphagia affects 300,000–600,000 persons yearly.
How long can an elderly person live with dysphagia?
Indeed, in a large cross-sectional study of nursing home residents, residents experiencing dysphagia possess 6-month mortality of 24.7% compared with 11.9% in those without dysphagia (P<. 001).
What is the leading cause of dysphagia?
Acid reflux disease is the most common cause of dysphagia. People with acid reflux may have problems in the esophagus, such as an ulcer, a stricture (narrowing of the esophagus), or less likely a cancer causing difficulty swallowing.
How often are people diagnosed with nutcracker esophagus?
Nutcracker esophagus is a form of esophageal spasm. It is in the same category of esophageal motility disorders as jackhammer esophagus and diffuse esophageal spasms. In the U.S. about 1 in 100,000 individuals are diagnosed with an esophageal motility disorder per year, however,…
What do you need to know about jackhammer esophagus?
Summary. Jackhammer esophagus is a motility disorder of the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth with the stomach, classified under esophageal spasms. Esophageal spasms are divided in 2 main types, diffuse esophageal spasm and hypertensive peristalsis or nutcracker esophagus. Jackhammer esophagus is the most serious manifestation…
How is nutcracker esophagus related to achalasia?
In the case of nutcracker esophagus, there is a pattern of esophageal hypercontractility causally linked to dysphagia or pain that is not consistent with achalasia or esophageal spasm. Unlike the case of esophageal spasm, there were no characteristic fluoroscopic abnormalities.
How is atropine used to treat nutcracker esophagus?
It remains to be determined if atropine may change the multipeaked pattern in such patients. Finally, as with diffuse esophageal spasm, increased muscle thickness has been observed in patients with nutcracker esophagus and with esophageal hypercontractility 24).