The esophagus can be affected by several different diseases. Symptoms such as bad breath or difficulty swallowing can provide an important clue in the search for the underlying disease. The therapy options are manifold and always depend on the diagnosed disease.
Damages and injuries of the mucous membrane
The most common disease of the esophagus is caused by the backflow of gastric acid due to a reduced muscle closure between the esophagus and the stomach entrance. The stomach acid causes inflammation of the mucous membrane of the esophagus. Patients’ complaints are frequent belching, so-called heartburn and a recurring burning pain behind the breastbone.
In medical terminology, this is called reflux disease or reflux esophagitis. An inflammation of the esophagus (lat. esophagitis) describes an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the esophagus.
This inflammation can have various causes, such as bacteria. Probably the most common cause, however, is a repeated occurrence of heartburn. The mucous membrane of the esophagus reacts very sensitively to gastric acid, causing it to become inflamed and change irreversibly.
Mallory-Weiss syndrome is a clinical picture characterized by bleeding from the torn mucous membrane of the esophagus. The affected patients suffer from severe pain in the upper abdomen and vomit blood (hematemesis). Mallory-Weiss syndrome is caused by permanently repeated vomiting.
The mucous membrane is damaged in this way and ruptures in some places. Alcoholism in particular is characterized by frequent vomiting, which is why the syndrome often occurs in alcoholic patients. But reflux esophagitis can also lead to this clinical picture.
You can read more about this topic: Mallory-Weiss SyndromeOesophageal varices bleeding describes heavy bleeding from the varicose veins of the esophagus. The varicose veins are secondary. This means they are the result of an underlying disease such as liver dysfunction. The pressure in the venous system rises sharply and life-threatening bleeding can occur, which should be treated immediately by a doctor. Oesophageal varices are usually not symptomatic and are only discovered during bleeding.
