Ashalazi

What is achalasia?
Achalasia is a rare disorder in which the esophagus is unable to transport food and liquids into your stomach. The esophagus is a muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Where your esophagus meets your stomach is a loop of muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This muscle relaxes and allows food to enter the stomach and then contracts. In fact, this action prevents the stomach from collapsing in the esophagus. In a patient with achalasia, the sphincter muscles do not relax, preventing food from moving into your stomach.

What is the cause of achalasia?
Why human esophageal muscles do not contract and relax naturally is not known. According to one theory, achalasia is an autoimmune disease caused by a virus. The immune system of the person attacks the nerve cells that are in the muscle layers of the esophagus wall and in the sphincter muscle. Nerve cells that control muscle function slowly degenerate. The cause of this problem is not clear, but it leads to excessive contraction of the sphincter muscle. So if you have achalasia, food and liquids cannot pass through the esophagus to your stomach. According to another theory, the cause of achalasia can be hereditary. But it still needs more research.

What people get achalasia?
This disease usually occurs in adults between 25 and 60 years old. But it can also occur in children and among children under the age of 16, it is seen in approximately 5%. So far, achalasia has not been more common in any race or ethnic group. Also, women and men are affected equally.

Is achalasia a serious disease?
Achalasia can be dangerous, especially if left untreated. Achalasia can cause significant weight loss and malnutrition. In these people, there is a small risk of developing esophageal cancer, especially when this disease remains in the body for a long time. In this case, doctors may recommend frequent esophageal screening.

Symptoms of achalasia
Symptoms of achalasia develop slowly and last for several months or several years. These include:
Difficulty swallowing or dysphagia (the most common initial symptom)
Regurgitation of undigested food
Chest pain
heartburn
Weight Loss
Malnutrition
Hiccups and wind

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Complications of achalasia
Achalasia causes food to back up into the esophagus and then affects the trachea (breathing tube), causing complications. These complications include:

Pneumonia (lateral chest)
Lung infections
Esophageal cancer
Ways to diagnose achalasia
3 tests are usually used to diagnose achalasia:

Barium swallow: For this test, the patient swallows a barium drug (liquid or other form) and its movement through the esophagus is evaluated using X-rays. Barium swallow X-ray in this device shows the narrowing of the esophagus.

Upper endoscopy: In this test, a thin, flexible tube with a camera on it is passed through the esophagus. This camera displays images inside the esophagus for evaluation on the screen. This test helps rule out cancerous (malignant) lesions as well as evaluating achalasia.
Manometry: This test measures the time and strength of esophageal muscle contractions and sphincter relaxation. The lack of relaxation of the sphincter muscle in response to swallowing and lack of muscle contractions along the walls of the esophagus is a positive result of achalasia.