Over time, irritation from EoE can injury and slender the esophagus, inflicting a meals impaction, which is “when meals is caught within the esophagus and can’t be propelled down into the abdomen by the esophagus,” says Mary Ann Huang, MD, a hepatologist and gastroenterologist at HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke’s in Denver. “Sometimes, a meals bolus, or clump of meals, is caught someplace within the esophagus.”
A meals impaction could cause signs similar to chest ache, choking, drooling, and dysphagia (hassle swallowing).
Individuals normally know they should search pressing care, as a result of signs are so excessive, says Ashkan Farhadi, MD, a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Middle in Fountain Valley, California. “Nothing goes down — not even your saliva.”
Not everybody with EoE will develop a meals impaction. One research discovered it affected 16 p.c of individuals with EoE and tended to have an effect on males extra typically than girls. However as a result of it will possibly shortly turn into important, it’s essential to know find out how to reply if you happen to really feel such as you’re experiencing signs.