Eosinophilic Esophagitis (cont.)
What are eosinophilic esophagitis symptoms?
The major symptom among adults with eosinophilic esophagitis is difficulty
swallowing solid food (dysphagia). Specifically, the food gets stuck in the
esophagus after it is swallowed. Less common symptoms include heartburn and
chest pain. Among children, the most common symptoms are abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting
, coughing, and failure to thrive.
How does eosinophilic esophagitis cause dysphagia?
Eosinophilic esophagitis decreases the ability of
the esophagus to stretch and accommodate mouthfuls of swallowed food. As a
result, solid foods (particularly steak, turkey, and chicken) will have
difficulty passing through the esophagus. When solid food sticks in the
esophagus, it causes an uncomfortable sensation in the chest, referred to as
dysphagia. If the solid food then passes into the stomach, the discomfort
subsides, and the individual can resume eating. If the solid food does not pass
into the stomach, individuals often must regurgitate the food by inducing
vomiting before they can resume eating. Rarely, the solid food becomes impacted,
that is, it can neither pass into the stomach or be regurgitated. The impacted
solid food causes chest pain that can mimic a heart attack and repeated spitting
of saliva that cannot be swallowed (because of the obstruction of the esophagus). Individuals with
impacted food are unable to eat or drink. To relieve the obstruction, a doctor
usually will have to insert a flexible endoscope through the mouth and into the
esophagus to remove the impacted food.
How eosinophilic esophagitis causes symptoms of abdominal
pain, vomiting, and
failure to thrive in children is not clear.
Next: What are the other causes of dysphagia or solid food? »
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