Achalasia Cardia: Understanding the Rare Food Pipe Disorder That Makes Swallowing Difficult

Dr Vikas Singla, Senior Director & Head, Gastroenterology, Institute of Gastrointestinal and Liver sciences, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, Delhi

Achalasia Cardia is a rare disorder of the esophagus or food pipe, characterized by difficulty in swallowing the food. In normal conditions, swallowed food passes through food pipe into the stomach. This requires coordinated action of esophagus known as peristalsis and relaxation of lower esophageal sphincter known as lower esophageal sphincter (LES). In patients with achalasia cardia, both the contraction of esophagus muscle and relaxation of LES are defective, leading to difficulty in swallowing food. Patient usually complaint of choking sensation after swallowing of food or liquids. Cause of achalasia cardia is unknown, however various