Esophageal Spasms – Symptoms and Causes
Overview
Esophageal spasms occur when the muscular tube connecting the mouth to the stomach contracts painfully. These spasms can cause severe chest pain lasting from minutes to hours, sometimes resembling heart-related pain.
Many people experience these spasms occasionally without needing medical intervention. However, frequent spasms can interfere with normal eating and drinking by preventing food and liquids from moving properly through the esophagus.
When esophageal spasms begin to affect nutrition and hydration, various treatment options become available. If you experience persistent chest pain, it’s important to seek medical attention to distinguish between esophageal spasms and potential heart problems.
Signs and Symptoms
People with esophageal spasms may feel strong chest pain that can seem like heart pain. This pain often feels like squeezing in the chest area.
Many find it hard to swallow food and drinks. Some foods or drinks can make symptoms worse, especially red wine or very hot or cold liquids.
You might feel like something is stuck in your throat. Food and drinks may come back up after you swallow them.
When You Should Get Medical Help
If you feel squeezing pain in your chest, get medical help right away. This kind of pain could be from esophageal spasms, but it might also be a sign of a heart attack.
It’s impossible to know the difference without proper testing. Don’t wait to see if the pain goes away on its own.
Causes
The exact trigger for esophageal spasms remains unclear. Research suggests these spasms stem from nerve dysfunction that affects the muscles involved in swallowing.
When functioning normally, the esophagus uses coordinated muscle contractions to push food down to the stomach. During spasms, the muscles in the lower esophagus walls fail to work together properly, making it harder to move food efficiently.
Medical experts recognize two distinct types:
- Distal Esophageal Spasm: Affects the lower portion of the esophagus.
- Hypercontractile Esophagus: Also called nutcracker esophagus because of the strong, excessive contractions.
These conditions interfere with the smooth movement of food through the digestive tract, leading to symptoms that can impact eating and comfort.
Risk Factors
When looking at who might get esophageal spasms, two main factors stand out:
- Gender Differences: Women have a higher chance of developing esophageal spasms than men. This pattern appears consistently in research on this condition.
- Age consideration: These spasms typically affect people around age 60. The condition is less common in younger adults, with risk increasing as people reach their sixth decade of life.
While these factors cannot be changed, knowing them helps healthcare providers make better diagnoses when patients report chest pain or swallowing difficulties.
