Treatment for Esophagitis

Esophagitis is often misdiagnosed as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Symptoms of GERD include acidic reflux, abdominal pain, and heartburn. On the other hand, symptoms of esophagitis include heartburn, vomiting, hiccups, dry cough and hoarseness, dysphagia, pain and burning sensation in the upper chest and back, and difficulty swallowing. Esophagitis is more common in males.

Esophagitis is uncommon, with a significant number of cases due to reflux esophagitis and peptic oesophagitis. The causes are uncertain. There is a family tendency for reflux esophagitis. Other possible causes include infections, such as histoplasmosis, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, autoimmune disease, food allergies, drugs and NSAIDS, and anatomical structures such as oesophageal diverticula, oesophageal webs and rings, oesophageal cancer and oesophageal strictures.

About 13% of children under the age of 14 in North Europe are affected by esophagitis. It is one of the most common, chronic and reversible gastrointestinal disorders in childhood. esophagitis is a specific disease that develops mainly due to viral and bacterial infection. esophagitis of acute and chronic etiologies usually differs in clinical picture. esophagitis of autoimmune and chronic etiologies usually differs in clinical picture. Esophagitis is one of the common gastrointestinal disorders. Esophagitis affects children and their family, and many times leads to esophageal cancer and other esophageal diseases.

It is estimated that 14 million Americans have some form of esophagitis a year. Esophagitis causes $13.8 billion a year in direct medical cost in the United States.

Esophagitis can be cured by use of esophagoscopy, in addition to standard therapies with the use of medication. Esophagoscopy is an effective way to observe lesions on the esophagus. Esophagoscopy can also be useful for the evaluation of patient prognoses and the monitoring of the progress of treatment.

Esophagitis is one of the most common causes of peptic ulcer disease. The treatment of esophagitis should follow a stepwise approach starting with aggressive therapy for severe ulcers and then relieving complications by managing pain.

There is no definitive evidence-based treatment for all patients with esophageal symptoms. Clinicians still need to rely on clinical experience and individual patient factors to treat esophageal symptoms. The authors encourage [patient-physician communications in medical homes for better symptom control and quality of life] for managing and minimizing the esophageal symptoms. Such treatment requires active participation, the collaboration of patients and their HPA caregivers, and professional support for [them as a family members, patients, and providers] in patient care.

Esophagitis seems to run in families as indicated by the association of H. pylori positive family history. It is recommended that H. pylori screening be included in the initial assessment of family members in families with a positive family history of esophagitis.

Trial participation in patients with dysphagia is more likely if the patient is younger, has reflux, or has previous treatments with reflux, medication, or esophageal motility dysfunction. Patients who have significant symptoms or complications should be evaluated for potential trial participation because they have a greater need.

In most patients with dysphagia, no treatment was effective and a fundoplication seemed to just get more complicated. Only 12% of our patients benefited and of that group half were cured. In general, the clinical value of all dysphagia treatments is unclear and only few have been adequately studied.

Although esophagitis, defined as inflammation of the esophagus, is a common condition with a low risk for cancer, serious complications, including perforation and ulceration are possible if esophagitis is severe. To avoid complications in esophagitis, it is advised to treat esophagitis as soon as possible. In advanced esophageal disease, treatment with an esophageal stenting or a pneumanoesophagostomy (a surgical device passed through the nose and into the esophagus) could potentially be useful treatments.