Esophagitis is a disease of the esophagus, in which an inflammatory process develops on the mucous membrane. Signs of pathology are burning pains behind the sternum, classic heartburn and impaired swallowing.
Esophagitis - esophagitis - can lead to quite unpleasant complications, including peptic ulcer and Barrett's disease. Therefore, it needs timely diagnosis and treatment.
Basic information
Esophagitis is an inflammatory disease that often develops as a result of any damage to the mucous membrane of the esophagus. But it can also be a consequence of an infectious disease, gastritis, and sometimes associated with the throwing of gastric juice (often even with bile) back into the esophagus. In the latter case, we are talking about a separate form - gastroesophageal reflux disease.
To understand how to treat esophagitis of the esophagus, you need to understand its classification and the main causes.
By the nature of the course of the disease, acute, subacute and chronic esophagitis are distinguished. According to the morphological characteristics of esophagitis, its forms are distinguished: catarrhal, edematous, erosive, hemorrhagic, necrotic and other forms.
In practice, most often catarrhal and edematous esophagitis occurs, in which redness of the mucous membrane and its swelling occur.
Main reasons
The acute form of esophagitis of the esophagus develops due to the action of the following factors:
- Infectious diseases, including flu, diphtheria, fungal diseases.
- Physical lesions, for example, injuries sustained during sounding.
- Chemical burns.
- Food allergy.
Esophagitis after chemical burns is considered the most difficult option. However, there are other forms of the disease. For example, an alimentary type occurs due to prolonged consumption of spicy or hot food. There is professional esophagitis, which is close in symptoms to chemical, because it is associated with regular contact of the respiratory system with caustic substances.
The stagnant form of esophagitis is caused by the violation of the function of the esophagus. The remains of food are not evacuated from it, so they irritate the mucous membrane. As a result, the inflammatory process begins.
There are also forms of esophagitis associated with metabolic disorders, hypovitaminosis, allergic reactions, etc.
Symptoms of the disease
Signs of pathology can be divided into two groups - symptoms of acute and chronic esophagitis. There are also certain differences within these groups.
For example, an acute catarrhal form can develop almost asymptomatically, manifesting itself exclusively as an increased sensitivity of the esophagus to too cold or hot food.
Symptoms of esophagitis of the esophagus in acute form in severe cases are as follows:
- Severe pain syndrome (the pain is burning in nature, felt behind the sternum, but can give to the back and neck).
- Violation of swallowing (correctly called dysphagia), which is observed due to severe pain.
- Increased salivation.
- Heartburn.
- Vomiting with traces of blood (only in a severe stage).
In medical practice, it happens that after a week from the onset of the first symptoms, its symptoms become less pronounced. But this is an imaginary well-being. After a few more weeks, if a person did not follow a diet and did not receive adequate treatment, esophagitis of the esophagus will go into the chronic stage. In this case, rough scars may appear on the mucous membrane, which will lead to further progression of dysphagia.
In reflux esophagitis, the main symptom is heartburn, which intensifies after coffee, soda and hot sauces. Overeating also contributes to the onset of symptoms.
Other signs of this form are bronchial asthma, various respiratory disorders, and frequent cases of pneumonia. Disturbed breathing is especially noticeable at night, when a person is lying.
Reflux esophagitis is only one of the varieties of the chronic form of the disease. In general, pathology is characterized by pain. Pain often radiates to the neck and back, as in acute esophagitis. A distinctive feature is that they are moderate. Reflux esophagitis occurs as a result of refluxing gastric juice into the esophagus with or without food.
In children, the disease can develop at an early age, even in the first year of life, due to sphincter insufficiency. It manifests itself in multiple regurgitation after feeding.
Any of these forms is dangerous for its complications, which include peptic ulcer of the esophagus, stenosis of the lumen of this organ, perforation of the walls, purulent processes, etc.
Diagnostics
Like other diseases of the esophagus, esophagitis is determined using instrumental diagnostics.
To confirm the diagnosis, use the method of endoscopic examination of the esophagus, which is called esophagoscopy. It shows the current changes in the mucous membrane and the degree of their severity.
If there is such a need, do an endoscopic biopsy to send mucosal samples for histological examination. Ultrasound is also performed.
Medications and physiotherapy
Treatment of esophagitis of the esophagus, especially in its acute form, begins with the fact that the doctor determines the factor that led to the development of the disease.
In the acute phase, when the cause of the pathology is, for example, a chemical burn, urgent gastric lavage is required in order to eliminate the effect of the provoking factor. But with an ulcerative form of the disease, such a procedure is contraindicated. That is why it is so important to determine the cause and form of the pathology.
In general, in the acute form of the disease, treatment of esophagitis of the esophagus will be the same as with food poisoning. You will have to refrain from eating within 24-48 hours. But even at the end of this period you can’t eat everything in a row. It is necessary to exclude fatty foods, spicy, smoked, etc. In severe form, sometimes you have to refuse enteral nutrition.
At this time, you need to take antacids, that is, drugs that reduce acidity. For example, it may be "Maalox" or its analogues. From antacids, it is worth choosing drugs that are available in gel form. It is also recommended that you take Famotidine or its analogues.
In the presence of symptoms of severe intoxication and dehydration, infusion therapy with detoxification solutions is prescribed. If tests show that the disease is caused by a bacterial infection, antibiotics are used.
If there are foci of purulent inflammation (for example, an abscess, phlegmon), surgical intervention is necessary. But this happens quite rarely.
Some drugs in the treatment of esophagitis of the esophagus are completely excluded. This, for example, prostaglandins, "Theophylline", sedative drugs, because they affect the tone of the sphincter.
With esophagitis, physiotherapy can give good results. For example, electrophoresis of ganglion blockers helps get rid of a pain syndrome. Also, with the disease, mud therapy and balneotherapy are indicated. Surgery is very rare.
Diet features
Nutrition for esophagitis of the esophagus plays an important role in the treatment of the disease. Without a well-thought-out diet, drug therapy will not give the desired result. There are no severe restrictions, but the methods of culinary processing are regulated. All dishes are steamed, boiled or baked without a crust. Hot sauces and spices are not used.
The diet for esophagitis of the esophagus provides the following rules:
- Fractional nutrition, in which the daily diet should be divided into 5-6 meals. Servings should be small.
- Dinner must be carried out 2-2.5 hours before bedtime.
- After eating, you can’t immediately go to bed, but outdoor games, running, any kinds of active sports are contraindicated.
- All meals are served warm but not hot. You can’t eat cold food either.
- Sweet soda, coffee, alcohol, smoked meats, and salty dishes are completely excluded from the diet.
Even simple observance of such rules will help get rid of heartburn in a few days, and after a while, digestion itself will normalize.
Allowed Dishes
Recommended foods for illness include:
- Vegetable soups.
- Low-fat varieties of meat from which soufflé is prepared, steam cutlets.
- Dairy products. It is allowed to cook puddings from cottage cheese.
- Eggs in the form of a steam omelet.
- Vegetables (exclusively boiled).
- Potatoes. This vegetable can be stewed or mashed from it.
- Milk cereals, including rice, as well as milk noodle soup.
- Jelly, dry cookies, fruit jelly and compotes.
You can also choose recipes suitable for this style of nutrition with esophagitis of the esophagus. Consider several popular dishes.
Pumpkin porridge
For cooking you will need:
- 500 g of pumpkin pulp.
- 150 g of sugar.
- 1 liter of skim milk.
- 20 g butter.
- 50 g of raisins or dried apricots.
Pumpkin pulp should be cut into small cubes and boiled in milk until softened, and then add pre-steamed dried fruit. Sugar is added to this mixture and beat in a blender until a puree condition is obtained.
Pumpkin contains many vitamins and antioxidants, and porridge made from it does not irritate the mucous membranes.
Stuffed zucchini in the oven
To prepare the dish you will need:
- 2-3 fresh zucchini.
- 100 g low-fat hard cheese.
- 1-2 carrots.
- 200-300 g of cauliflower.
- 2 eggs.
- 100 g sour cream.
Zucchini need to be washed, peeled and cut in half. Choose the middle of them with a spoon. As a filling, put in them a mixture of carrot and cheese cut into cubes, as well as cabbage inflorescences. All this is seasoned with sour cream and beaten egg. Stuffed zucchini baked in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
You can cook classic cottage cheese soufflé, minced meat casserole, etc. For an exacerbation of the disease, it is worth giving preference to pureed dishes, liquid soups, etc.
Prohibited Products
With a disease, all foods that could irritate the mucous membrane are excluded from the diet. This is sweet soda, chocolate, coffee, smoked meats, pickles, sour fruits, too rough food. Under the ban are all sweets - jam, cakes, cakes, ice cream.
Also, fatty and spicy foods should be removed from the diet. You can not eat meat of fatty varieties, lard and aspic. This prohibition applies to strong broths.
Following a diet with esophagitis of the esophagus, you need to abandon such foods: pea, bean, lentil soup, ear, mushroom broths, sour cabbage soup or borsch. You can not eat onions, garlic and tomatoes.
Whole milk products should be limited, and cream should be discarded completely. As for alcoholic beverages, they will also have to be excluded.
Sample menu
A daily menu for esophagitis esophagitis may look like this:
- Breakfast: oatmeal (you can take Hercules flakes), boiled in milk with the addition of dried fruits, rosehip tea.
- Second breakfast: cottage cheese pudding, a cup of green tea.
- Lunch: pumpkin or carrot soup puree, steam omelet, a glass of compote and crackers.
- Snack: baked apple.
- Dinner: chicken fillet with sour cream sauce, a cup of jelly.
- Before going to bed: a glass of fermented baked milk. You can eat 2-3 crackers.
There are no special restrictions on calorie content in the menu, but you need to follow the measure, it is strictly forbidden to overeat. The energy value of the diet should not exceed 2500 kcal per day.
It should also be remembered that proper nutrition is an important preventive measure.
Folk remedies
Many are interested in how to treat esophagitis of the esophagus with folk remedies. In fact, they are not very effective for such a disease. But the recipes of the healers help to cope with individual manifestations of the pathology with the help of herbal infusions and home remedies. For example, using traditional medicine, you can defeat heartburn.
For these purposes, apply:
- Freshly squeezed potato juice. Half a glass should be drunk on an empty stomach, you can eat a piece of sugar.
- Dry leaves of blackberry or raspberry, which are recommended to chew for 5-10 minutes.
- Chamomile infusion (1 tablespoon per 0.5 liter of boiling water), which is drunk instead of tea (you can replace the product with mint infusion).
To remove the inflammatory process, the following methods are used:
- Infusion of dill seeds. Vegetable raw materials need to be crushed in a mortar, take 2 tsp. and pour a glass of boiling water. The tool is insisted for two hours, filtered and drunk in equal doses four times a day before meals.
- Grated Jerusalem artichoke tubers. This plant is very useful for various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as for diabetes. The tubers are rubbed on a fine grater and mixed with chopped non-acidic apple. This tool is taken twice a day in equal portions. It relieves inflammation and relieves heartburn.
To get rid of inflammation and heartburn, it is recommended to eat millet porridge more or add such cereal to vegetable soup. The substances contained in it have a beneficial effect on the mucous membranes.
Conclusion
Esophagitis is a disease that requires timely and proper treatment. It is strictly forbidden to take any medications on your own and use folk remedies without first consulting a doctor in order to avoid negative consequences.
If unpleasant symptoms appear, it is recommended to immediately contact a clinic for a full examination. It must be remembered that complex therapy will help to avoid complications. This is not only the use of medications prescribed by a doctor, but also a change in nutritional principles.