Monday, December 29, 2014

Esophagus allergy is a form of food allergy

Esophagus allergy or Eosinophilic esophagitis is a form of food allergy that causes severe heartburn symptoms, nausea, vomiting, weight loss and difficulty swallowing.



Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is a disease characterized by swelling of the esophagus (the part of the body connecting the throat and the stomach) caused by an allergic white blood cell, the eosinophil. Once EE is diagnosed, an allergist will typically perform extensive allergy testing, including looking for food allergies and environmental allergies.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

How does eosinophilic esophagitis produce dysphagia?

Eosinophilic esophagitis decreases the knack of the esophagus to stretch for swallowed food.  It is a result of copious eosinophils.  Maybe because of some scaring that occurs on the barrier of the esophagus.


As a result, constant foods (particularly resolute meats) have difficulty passing through the esophagus. When resolute mess sticks in the esophagus, it causes an distress on the chest.  The sticking of food mark the esophagus and is referred to being dysphagia.

If the solid table thus passes into the stomach, the languour subsides to further resume eating. If the solid food does not shift to the stomach, people often must regurgitate by regard, vomiting before they resume eating.

Rarely, the stubborn food becomes impacted, that is, can neither pass into the intestines nor be regurgitated. The impacted brick wall board causes chest irratation that emulates a heart attack and habitual spitting up of saliva that cannot be swallowed because of the obstruction in the esophagus. Individuals are unable to eat or drink.

To relieve the obstruction, indivuals will need to see a doctor to remove from the esophagus the impacted food.

Monday, February 25, 2013

How we tolerate foods or become allergic to them

The stomach is exposed to large quantities of foreign proteins daily. Most protein is broken down by stomach acid and digestive enzymes into lessantigenic peptides or is bound by secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), which prevents it from being absorbed.  The epithelial cells lining the stomach do not allow large molecules to pass easily.    
           
 
For these reasons, less than 2% of the protein in food is absorbed in an allergenic form.  The reason food allergies are more prevalent in children is most likely that children have an immature stomach barrier.                

When dietary proteins do cross the stomach barrier, the immune system normally suppresses the allergic response. Regulatory T cells, dendritic cells, and local immune responses play critical roles in the development of tolerance. Several types of regulatory T and suppressor cells can all contribute to suppressing allergic responses.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Symptoms of esophagus allergy

The symptoms of esophagus allergy in adults is classically episodes of food sticking when swallowing that is called dysphagia in medical terms. Typically, a young man or teenage boy presents with an episode of food being lodged in the esophagus or feeding tube.



Food that won't go down and can't be regurgitated up along with a history of difficulty swallowing foods (such as bread or dry meats like chicken and beef) is common, especially associated with a personal and/or family history of allergic conditions.

Failure of the food to go down (or up) causes a food impaction resulting in the inability to swallow even saliva, chest discomfort and usually sends the person to the emergency room. Sometimes, intravenous medication that relaxes the esophagus will allow the food to pass but usually it has to be removed by an endoscope.

Acid reflux and esophagus allergy

Acid reflux esophagitis usually responds to acid blocker medications like histamine 2 blockers ranitidine (Zantac), cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid) and proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole (Prilosec) or esomeprazole (Nexium) whereas eosinophilic esophagitis often does not get better with these medications. Acid reflux injury to the esophagus can result in narrowing or constriction of the lower esophagus causing a food sticking sensation.



This can be treated by a stretching of the constriction known as esophageal dilation that is usually safe and highly effective. Eosinophilic esophagitis also may result in constrictions of the esophagus but the stricture or rings are usually multiple, located higher in the esophagus and carry a high risk of tearing or puncturing the esophagus if dilation is attempted before treatment with steroids.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Esophagus allergy treatment team

Esophagus allergy is an allergic inflammatory reaction of the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. To distinguish between GERD and EE, a biopsy of the esophagus and GERD studies are preformed. In EE, high levels of eosinophils are detected in the esophagus only, and not other parts of the digestive tract.



The treatment team usually consists of your primary doctor and pediatric specialty physicians in Allergy and Gastroenterology who are familiar with this disorder. A nutritionist may be needed to help manage dietary concerns.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Schatzki's ring is a disorder involved in esophagus allergy

The Hiatal Hernia Syndrome can (eventually) cause serious illness including respiratory and cardiac symptoms, and appears to be present in most sufferers of food and chemical allergies. But some of these complaints may be caused by the so-called Schatzki's ring, and not the hernia itself. You can have either condition and not the other, or you may have both--as is common.



Schatzki's ring is a disorder of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) and acts like a valve between the esophagus and the stomach. Dry foods (like bread) can be a problem, but wheat, beef (or other) allergy may also be a factor. (Or this may be a purely mechanical problem and include such matters as the causative role of the Hiatal Hernia/Vagus Nerve Syndrome.