The Relationship Between Existence of Typical Symptoms and Psychological Factors in Patients With Erosive Esophagitis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In Asian countries including Korea, the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is on the rise and its clinical impact has been emphasized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of esophagitis patients with or without symptoms, and their association with psychological factors. METHODS: Subjects diagnosed as erosive esophagitis of Los Angeles-A or more in screening by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were enrolled. Questionnaires regarding GERD symptoms and Symptom Checklist-90-Revision were used to identify the presence of psychological symptoms. RESULTS: There was no difference between the subjects' general characteristics (gender, age, body mass index, smoking and alcohol intake) according to the existence of typical symptoms in these patients with erosive esophagitis. Patients with typical GERD symptoms were more likely to have atypical symptoms, dyspepsia and higher scores on psychological symptoms (somatization, obsessive-compulsiveness and phobic anxiety) than those without. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological symptoms and other gastrointestinal symptoms should be considered in the patients with erosive esophagitis.

Secondary Achalasia by Eosinophilic Esophagitis / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Idiopathic eosinophilic esophagitis is a part of disorders that comprise eosinophilic gastroenteritis, a condition characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the gastrointestinal tract. Its clinical feature depends on the type of layer and location involved. A 56-year-old man presented with dysphagia and abdominal pain. Endoscopic ultrsonography and esophageal manometry showed definite smooth muscle hypertrophy of the esophagus and vigorous achalasia like motility disturbance. We report a case of eosinophilic eosphagitis that resolved by steroid treatment, with a review of relevant literatures.