Table of contents:
- Causes of esophageal barrage
- What are the symptoms that can occur due to Barrett?
- Who is at risk for esophageal diarrhea?
- Can Barrett esophagus be cured?
Have you ever had esophageal Barrett? This disease is rarely heard but quite dangerous. Esophageal diarrhea is a condition in which the cells of the esophagus (food pathway) change abnormally and become damaged.
Unfortunately, this disease does not show any special symptoms at first, making it difficult to notice. The symptoms and signs that appear are at least like those of people who have GERD or stomach acid disorders. There are no other characteristics. So, what causes esophageal diarrhea?
Causes of esophageal barrage
Basically, the exact cause of esophageal arthritis is not clear. However, Barrett is most common in people who have GERD.
GERD occurs when the valve between the stomach doesn't work properly so that stomach acid often rises and injures the esophagus.
Esophageal diarrhea is a disease that occurs when the cells of the esophagus are damaged and change their shape to resemble the cells in the human intestine. This change occurs because the walls of the waste are exposed to too much acid, which affects the shape of the cells.
However, not everyone with previous esophageal arthritis has GERD. 3 out of 5 cases of esophageal diarrhea do occur in people with GERD, but the remaining 2 are not certain what causes it.
In addition, esophageal diarrhea is a disease that can develop into cancer if not treated quickly and appropriately. Esophageal cells that are damaged can turn into aggressive cancer cells.
Even so, not all cases of esophageal diarrhea will lead to cancer, depending on the condition and treatment being carried out.
What are the symptoms that can occur due to Barrett?
There are no distinctive signs that appear when the cells of the esophagus begin to change. Therefore, further medical examinations are needed to find out whether someone has this disease or not.
Even if there are symptoms and signs, they are usually like GERD because most people with Barrett do experience GERD. Common symptoms of esophageal diarrhea are:
- The chest feels hot as if it is burning
- Frequent stomach aches
- Difficulty swallowing food
- Chest pain
- Vomiting blood
- The stool is black or bloody
If this happens you should immediately consult a doctor. Perform a thorough examination until it is known what causes these symptoms to arise, whether it is due to GERD, or is it outside of GERD.
Who is at risk for esophageal diarrhea?
If you have had GERD for more than 10 years, your risk of developing Barrett will be much greater than that of other people.
Other risk factors for esophageal diarrhea are:
- Men are at a higher risk of developing Barrett.
- Over 50 years. This disease is more common in the elderly
- Smoking or have a history of being an active smoker
- People who are overweight. The greater the amount of fat in the abdomen or abdominal cavity, the higher the risk of experiencing Barrett.
Can Barrett esophagus be cured?
Although it sounds scary and dangerous, esophageal arthritis is a disease that can be cured with proper treatment.
Usually, the treatment of esophageal barrage will be adjusted to how much and how severe changes in the esophageal cells occur.
If it is not severe enough, the doctor will perform treatment to control the symptoms of GERD with drugs or measures such as:
- Surgery to strengthen the valve between the stomach and lower esophagus (Nissen fundoplication).
- Installation of LINX around the lower esophagus. LINX is a device that is shaped like a small metal bead. This device acts like a magnet to keep stomach contents out into the esophagus.
- Strengthens the muscles between the esophagus and stomach through the Stretta procedure. The Stretta procedure provides changes to the inner muscles by emitting radio waves. These radio waves will also help reduce reflux of gastric contents that remain in the esophagus.
In severe cases, the actions taken are usually:
- Radio frequency ablation. This procedure uses an endoscope that radiates heat. This heat will kill cells that are abnormally shaped.
- Cryotherapy. This procedure is performed by giving cold liquid or gas to the abnormal cells. Then the cells are allowed to thaw, and then frozen again until the abnormal cells die.
- Photodynamic therapy. In this treatment, the doctor will inject you with a light sensitive porphymer chemical. The endoscopy will be scheduled for 24-72 hours after the injection, and it is during this endoscopy that the laser will activate certain chemicals and kill abnormal cells.
In addition to some of the actions above, to reduce GERD symptoms and the possibility of symptoms getting worse, you need to make lifestyle changes, such as maintaining ideal body weight, avoiding wearing too tight clothes, not smoking, and not sleeping on your back after eating.
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