What does esophagitis mean?

Are you feeling a burning sensation in your chest after finishing that spicy plate of nachos with extra jalapeños? Or perhaps you’ve been experiencing difficulty swallowing and the feeling of food getting stuck in your throat. Well, hold on to your taste buds, because it’s possible that you may be suffering from esophagitis! What is esophagitis? Let’s break it down.

What Is Esophagitis?

First things first – let’s start with the basics. The esophagus is a muscular tube that connects our mouth and throat to our stomach. It carries food and liquids down into our digestive system so we can satisfy those hunger pangs. When inflammation or irritation occurs in this tube, it’s referred to as esophagitis.

How Common Is It?

Believe it or not, esophagitis is actually pretty common! In fact, according to recent studies, an estimated 10-15% of Americans suffer from acid reflux daily which can lead to inflammation and irritation along the lining of their esophageal tract.

Causes

So now we know what it is but how does someone get esophagitis? There are several different factors which could play a part:

GERD (Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease)

GERD results when acid from your stomach flows back up through your esophageal pathway causing irritation along the way.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis

This type of condition specifically involves excessive build-up of eosinophil cells in the lining of the patient’s esophageal wall leading to complications like dysphasia otherwise known as difficulty swallowing discussed above .

Medications

Certain medications such as Alendronate sodium tablets for osteoporosis treatment have been reported by people who take them for prolonged period s complaints gastrointestinal adverse effects.

Symptoms

Got an irritation in your throat, but you’re not sure if it’s esophagitis? Any or combination of the following could be symptoms:

Heartburn

The feeling of having that burning sensation starting from a located near breastbone and reaching the neck.

Chest Pain

Sharp chest pain moving upwards towards one’s collar bone. Ouch!

Difficulty Swallowing

Feeling as though food is getting stuck on its way down to your stomach.

Nausea/Vomiting

Disconnect with what makes our digestive system like us – expelling undigested contents coming back into the mouth .

Diagnosis

So, how does a medical professional actually diagnose someone with esophagitis?

EGD (Esophageal Gastroduodenoscopy)

This involves using a scope to examine different areas lining our esophageal tract for any inflammation presence even more understandingly eosinophilic presence can be understood by selecting potential tissue samples via biopsy collection during gastroduodendoscope procedure. The medical term endoscopic examination performed here may be thought off as inspection internally inside esophagus going down sternum originating from oral cavity whilst indicating mucosal abnormality/lesions at multiple variable locations .

Treatment Options

So, what options are available for treatment? Thankfully there are several ways that medical professionals approach treating inflammation and accompanying symptoms:

Medications

Prescription medications such antacids or proton-pump inhibitors act in minimizing acid secretion leaving less reflux related distress; however such medicaion use must be carefully moderated due to liver failure being reported among Helicobacter pylori infected patients who initiate long-term therapy plans involving these drugs should factor this risk when guiding patient talks about risks vrs benefits management specifically prolonged use beyond lengths recommended by healthcare provider familiar w/patient history.. Hence a health care provider guidance must follow to ensure doses administered benefit outweigh risk.

Surgery

Severe cases of esophagitis may require surgical procedures like fundoplication which involves wrapping the esophageal wall around the stomach to prevent future reflux. An alternative option is the LINX device that aids in making certain muscles perform their functions as normally done until they stop doing so on their own .

Fun Facts

To end this article about a topic not commonly talked about, here are 3 fun facts you probably didn’t know, but hopefully make learning about esophagitis an entertaining adventure:

Hot Beverages Can Make It Worse!

If you’re already experiencing symptoms, avoid hot beverages and stick to lukewarm instead! Chances are your throat will thank you later for providing relief.

“The Sleeve” Technique Is A Solution

Reports indicated reduced instances of GERD related disorders among patients who got sleeve surgery known partially incisionless by many due to it being performed laprascopically or transferring gastric bypass patients e.g. lower possibility snacking post-operatively besides optimizing lifestyle choices exercise dietary changes among other preventive measures following medical recommendations health professionals giving inputs reflecti lifestyles adopting early habits capable dual benefit.

Table Salt Can Help You!

Believe it or not, combining a cup of warm water with half a teaspoon of table salt can actually help soothe your sore throat which typically accompanies inflammation associated with affected areas near alimentary tract between upper thorax resulting eventually inflamed heatburn pathway .

So there we have it – everything you wanted, (and maybe some stuff you didn’t), know about Esophagitis! Remember — when in doubt, seek professional advice from those qualified; herein lays efficacy .