What kind of problems does GERD cause in the Esophagus?
Reflux esophagitis: Injury and inflammation of the inner lining of the esophagus from prolonged exposure to acid and digestive enzymes. This produces pain as well as sometimes painful swallowing (known as odynophagia) Reflux esophagitis can progress to complications: • Long-standing inflammation and scarring can progress to a mutation called Barrett’s Esophagus which is a premalignant condition. • Severe scarring and narrowing of the esophagus can occur called strictures. These can cause food to become “stuck” or can cause pain when swallowing. • Advanced cases can lead to outpouchings of the walls of the esophagus called a iverticula. This is the replacement of the cells lining the esophagus with mutated cells more typical of the stomach or intestines (metaplasia) due to the long-term damage caused by GERD and acid. Occurs in approx 10% of patients with GERD. 1/200 patients each year develop cancer of the esophagus (50x normal risk of this cancer): Represents one of the more serious c
