Dyspepsia & Achalasia

Question 1

What is dyspepsia?

Answer 1

A symptom of indigestion

Question 2

What are the 3 symptoms of indigestion/dyspepsia?

Answer 2

Early satiation (full after a bit of food)
Epigastric pain + reflux (GORD like pain)
Extreme fullness

Question 3

Cause of dyspepsia

Answer 3

Often unknown (‘functional’ disorder)
maybe related to ulcers (esp gastric)

Question 4

Diagnosis and treatment for dyspepsia?

Answer 4

Needs endoscopy to find underlying cause

Question 5

What is Achalasia?

Answer 5

Oesophageal dysmotility (impaired peristalsis)
LOS fails to relax
rare and idiopathic

Question 6

Symptoms of achalasia

Answer 6

Non progressive dysphagia (struggle swallowing anything)
Chesty substernal pain
food regurgitation
aspiration pneumonia

Question 7

Diagnosis of achalasia?

Answer 7

Barium swallow X ray - ‘bird beak’
Manometry - measures pressure across LOS - DIAGNOSTIC = High

Question 8

Treatment of Achalasia

Answer 8

Only surgery - Curative (balloon stenting)
Drugs that may help pre surgery = nitrates, rufedipine

Question 9

Complication of achalasia

Answer 9

May increase risk of oesophageal squamous cell lung cancer