Introduction
Swallowing food is a normal body function. In some cases, when an individual has trouble swallowing food, it could be because of achalasia cardia.
What is achalasia cardia?
It is a rare disease, which occurs when nerves in the oesophagus become damaged. It makes passing food and liquid difficult from the oesophagus into your stomach.
Symptoms
Patients who are suffering from achalasia cardia may experience the following symptoms
Pain in the chest
Heartburn
Sudden and unexplained weight loss
Vomiting the undigested food
Issues with swallowing the food
Treatments
Several treatments are available for this disease, depending on its effects.
The doctor's choice of the treatment depends on factors like the patient's health, the presence of symptoms and the impact and extent of the disease. Not every patient suffering from achalasia cardia has to opt for conventional Heller myotomy or other surgical treatments; many non-surgical treatment options are available.
Laparoscopy Heller myotomy is also done for achalasia cardia treatment. It offers less scarring, quick recovery and short hospital stay. It is done by making five small cuts in the abdomen.
The non-surgical treatments for achalasia cardia include balloon dilation and medication. In this process, the lower oesophagal sphincter is expanded by inserting a specially designed balloon. This process has to be repeated for better results. On a few occasions, medications like nifedipine, nitroglycerin and botox may be injected to relax spastic oesophagal muscles. These treatments could be done if you are facing swallowing problems from achalasia cardia.
Cause
Researchers could not fully understand the cause of achalasia yet. It is suspected that it might happen because of the loss of nerve cells in the oesophagus. Apart from this, autoimmune responses and viral infection have also been alleged to be their cause. Rarely, achalasia may be caused by an inherited genetic dysfunction or illness.
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