Cardia achalasia is a dysfunctional disease of the esophageal muscles caused by a lack of nerves in the esophagus, and its main symptom is dysphagia.
Common symptoms.
1. difficulty swallowing solid food or liquid food.
2. chest pain or heartburn.
3, food reflux (which may be aggravated at night).
4, choking and coughing when ingesting food or drinking water.
The above symptoms resemble those of gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is a common condition, so many patients with cardia are initially treated for GERD.
Factors that aggravate symptoms.
1. certain foods, such as meat, bread, rice and certain vegetables. Therefore, patients are advised to make dietary choices with the help of their physicians and nutrition specialists.
2. drinking water or carbonated beverages with meals (found to relieve symptoms in some patients, but aggravate symptoms such as chest pain in others).
3. eating and drinking before bedtime. Therefore, patients are advised not to eat within 4 hours before bedtime and to sleep with a pillow.
4, drug residue in the esophagus when taking medication. Some oral medications can aggravate symptoms, but the severity of symptoms caused by different medications is not consistent, so it is recommended to take medications under the guidance of a doctor.
Treatment.
Diagnosis can be aided by a series of tests. The use of X-ray imaging or endoscopy can help the doctor see what is going on in the patient’s esophagus; some other tests can detect the state of the esophageal muscles. There is no cure for cardia, but a number of treatments are available to alleviate the symptoms, including medication and surgery.
1. Medication: It can be used for patients who cannot be operated or for temporary relief of symptoms.
(1) Some drugs can help restore esophageal muscle function, but these drugs may not be useful for symptom relief. In addition, these drugs cannot stop the aggravation of symptoms. Therefore, such drugs should only be used temporarily.
(2) Endoscopic drug injections. Such drugs may relieve symptoms by reducing the pressure in the esophagus, but the effect usually lasts only for 6 months. Therefore, patients need to be treated every year.
2. Surgical treatment.
(1) Balloon dilatation: treatment is often effective, but multiple dilatations may be required to achieve optimal results.
(2) laparoscopic Heller myotomy: good results but higher risk compared to balloon dilatation.
(3) transoral endoscopic myotomy: effective in the vast majority of patients, but may require multiple procedures to achieve optimal results.
Recommendations to patients.
1. dietary control: patients should avoid foods and beverages that can aggravate their symptoms.
2. maintain follow-up: cardia incontinentia is not curable and patients need to maintain follow-up to prevent exacerbation of the disease.
3, pay attention to complications: when visiting the doctor, patients need to inform the doctor if their symptoms worsen and if they lose weight.