A Patient with Achalasia Misdiagnosed as Asthma Until Age 17 / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Achalasia is a primary esophageal motility disorder characterized by functional obstruction of the distal esophagus and subsequent dilation of the proximal esophagus. The most common symptoms in children and adolescents are vomiting, progressive dysphagia, weight loss, recurrent pneumonia, nocturnal cough, and chest pain. A girl who had been diagnosed with asthma poorly responsive to inhaled steroids until age 17, presented at the hospital with cough, sputum, and fever. Finally, she was diagnosed with achalasia and underwent esophageal balloon dilatation, which relieved her GI and pulmonary symptoms. We report this case with a literature review.