The Achalasia It is a disorder of the oesophagus that makes it difficult for food to pass into the stomach. It happens because the oesophagus loses its ability to push food along and the valve connecting to the stomach does not open correctly.
This causes food not to move normally and to be retained, leading to symptoms that can appear progressively.
It can manifest with:
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) both with solids and with liquids.
- Regurgitation of food especially when lying down.
- Feeling of food stuck after meals.
- Weight loss or discomfort when eating when the problem persists.
Practical example: progressive difficulty swallowing
A person might first notice they have more difficulty swallowing certain foods, such as bread or meat. Over time, this difficulty can also arise with liquids, which is not typical of other digestive problems.
Furthermore, you may need to drink water constantly to help food go down or notice that some of what you've eaten comes back up into your mouth. This type of evolution is characteristic of the Achalasia and it usually requires a specific study to confirm it.
Achalasia and oesophageal motility disorders
Achalasia is part of the so-called motility disorders, in which the problem is not a visible injury, but the functioning of the oesophagus. In this case, the coordinated movement that should push food does not occur correctly.
This not only affects the passage of food, but also the patient's quality of life, as it can cause discomfort when eating, changes in diet, or even avoidance of certain foods.
The diagnosis is based on specific tests such as Oesophageal manometry, which allows us to study how the oesophagus contracts, and in complementary studies such as gastroscopy or oesophageal transit.
A frequent doubt is thinking that difficulty swallowing is always due to a “temporary blockage”. In reality, when it repeats or progresses, it can indicate a problem with the functioning of the oesophagus that requires assessment.