The signs (symptoms) of Zenker’s diverticulum begin insidiously and increase as the diverticulum grows in size. At the beginning of the disease, patients complain of frequent clearing of the throat, a chronic coughing irritation or a foreign body sensation in the throat. This is accompanied by bad breath due to the remaining food residues in the diverticula.
When drinking, symptoms such as gurgling noises due to water turbulence in the diverticula can occur. As the disease progresses, swallowing disorders (dysphagia) occur, which typically increase during eating. Symptoms of esophageal diverticula occur when the esophagus is increasingly compressed by the increase in size of the diverticulum, thus reducing the space available for food passage.
The time a patient needs for food intake is increased. It is therefore not unusual for patients to lose weight over time. Particularly at night, patients can also reburp (regurgitate) food residues from the diverticulum.
It can happen that patients find food remnants on their pillow in the morning. The food is typically not sour because it has not come into contact with stomach acid.
- Larynx (larynx)
- Diverticula
- Leftovers
- Trachea (windpipe)
- Oesophagus
The symptoms caused by epiphrenal diverticula are not very characteristic.
Patients sometimes complain of upper abdominal discomfort, a feeling of pressure behind the breastbone or also of difficulty swallowing. Epiphrenal diverticula can also cause reflux disease (heartburn) or aggravate existing esophageal diverticula. –> Continue to the topic esophageal diverticula therapy
- Diverticula
- Scar tissue
