Achalasia occurs when your lower esophageal sphincter doesn't work properly.. Symptoms include trouble swallowing, heartburn and chest pain. Learn more about the causes and treatments.

Achalasia causes are not fully understood, but the degeneration of oesophageal nerves is a key factor.5. Types of Achalasia vary based on muscle activity patterns seen during diagnostic tests.6.

Patients with achalasia had a 42% higher risk for mortality than matched reference individuals (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.42; 95% CI, 1.21-1.65).

I transitioned to an achalasia specialist as I began treatment for Stage 2 breast cancer. The specialist was hesitant to diagnose achalasia without a manometry, a test where a pressure-sensitive ...

“Achalasia is a postulated risk factor for esophageal cancer. The suggested cause of pathophysiology relates to stasis esophagitis,” Eric E. Low, MD, MPH, an internal medicine resident at the ...

In achalasia, a muscle doesn’t relax properly, meaning it’s difficult for food to pass into the stomach. “It was really a traumatic test,” she says.

Achalasia is a rare esophageal motility disorder characterized by the inability of the lower esophageal sphincter to relax and the absence of normal esophageal peristalsis. This condition leads to ...

The clinical practice update offers 12 “best practice advice” statements on POEM to treat achalasia and other esophageal motility disorders. News & Perspective Tools & Reference CME/CE.

But in achalasia, weakened nerves prevent that. "That bottom muscle just doesn't relax enough for food to go down easily," notes Dr. Malik. Difficulty swallowing is just one symptom.

Dear Dr. Roach: I have achalasia, which I understand is quite rare.Can you tell me the cause, and is it in any way related to the COVID vaccination? I heard from one professional doctor that it ...