CEN Esophagitis

CEN Esophagitis Overview

Esophagitis is inflammation that may damage tissues of the esophagus, the muscular tube that delivers food from your mouth to your stomach.

Esophagitis can cause painful, difficult swallowing and chest pain. Causes of esophagitis include stomach acids backing up into the esophagus, infection, oral medications and allergies.

Treatment for esophagitis depends on the underlying cause and the severity of tissue damage. If left untreated, esophagitis can damage the lining of the esophagus and interfere with its normal function, which is to move food and liquid from your mouth to your stomach. Esophagitis can also lead to complications such as scarring or narrowing of the esophagus, and difficulty swallowing.

Signs and Symptoms

• Difficult swallowing
• Painful swallowing
• Chest pain, particularly behind the breastbone, that occurs with eating
• Swallowed food becoming stuck in the esophagus (food impaction)
• Heartburn
• Acid regurgitation

Causes

• Reflux esophagitis
• Eosinophilic esophagitis
• Lymphocytic esophagitis
• Drug-induced esophagitis
• Infectious esophagitis

Complications

• Scarring or narrowing (stricture) of the esophagus
• Tearing of the esophagus lining tissue from retching (if food gets stuck) or during endoscopy (due to inflammation)
• Barrett’s esophagus, characterized by changes to the cells lining the esophagus, increasing your risk of esophageal cancer

Treatment

Treatments for esophagitis are intended to lessen symptoms, manage complications and treat underlying causes of the disorder. Treatment strategies vary primarily based on the cause of the disorder.