A 32 year old woman presents with complaints of several months of burning substernal chest pain exacerbated by large meals, cigarettes, and caffeine. Her symptoms are worse when she lies on her back, especially when sleeping at night. Antacids often improve her symptoms. This patient is at risk for which of the following conditions?
This woman likely suffers from reflux esophagitis, a condition in which the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not adequately prevent acidic gastric contents from refluxing back into the distal esophagus. Most commonly, there is a defect in the LES mechanism itself, in addition to secondary causes such as pregnancy (due to increased abdominal pressure) and some medications (anticholinergics, beta-2 agonists, theophylline, nitrates, calcium-channel blockers). Symptoms can mimic cardiac chest pain and must be carefully evaluated. Complications of reflux esophagitis include esophageal strictures, ulcerations, laryngitis, pulmonary aspiration, and Barrett's esophagus (columnar metaplasia of the distal esophagus). Barrett's esophagus is considered a premalignant state, with roughly a 30-fold increase in the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma. The normal squamous epithelium of the esophagus transforms into columnar epithelium similar to gastric epithelium as a result of recurrent reflux of acidic gastric contents. Anginal pain, signaling cardiac ischemia, is generally not burning in nature, and is not relieved by antacids. Mallory-Weiss lesions are actual tears of the epithelia of the proximal stomach or distal esophagus as a result of retching (seen in anorexics and alcoholics). The incidence of pure squamous cell carcinoma is not increased by acid reflux disease. Ref: Wyatt C., Butterwoh IV J.F., Moos P.J., Mackey D.C., Brown T.G. (2008). Chapter 14. Gastrointestinal Pathology. In C. Wyatt, J.F. Butterwoh IV, P.J. Moos, D.C. Mackey, T.G. Brown (Eds), Pathology: The Big Picture.
Cardiac ischemia
Columnar metaplasia of the distal oesophagus
Mallory-Weiss lesion in the esophagus
Squamous cell carcinoma