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Esophageal Dyskinesias - Causes
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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Esophageal dyskinesias can be primary, i.e. an independent disease, and secondary, i.e. a manifestation of some other disease, such as esophageal diseases (diverticula, esophagitis, hernia of the esophageal opening of the diaphragm, neoplasms), or can be associated with diseases of other organs and systems (diabetes mellitus, systemic scleroderma, severe lesions of the central and peripheral nervous system, muscular dystrophy, peptic ulcer, chronic cholecystitis, etc.), sometimes with the use of drugs that impair esophageal motility. This chapter discusses primary esophageal dyskinesias.
The main causes of primary esophageal dyskinesia:
- psycho-emotional stress situations (acute and chronic), neurotic conditions, hysteria;
- hereditary anomalies of the neuromuscular apparatus of the esophagus that do not have a macroscopic substrate and are sometimes determined at the microscopic level.
The pathogenesis of primary dyskinesia of the esophagus is based on changes in the nervous and hormonal regulation of its activity (motor, motor function).
It has been established that a decrease in the content of gastrin in the blood leads to the development of gastroesophageal reflux. Thyroliberin, glucagon, somatostatin reduce, and pancreatic polypeptide stimulates the motor function of the esophagus.
Motilin enhances contraction of the thoracic region and the contractility of the lower esophageal sphincter; cholecystokinin and secretin relax it.
Enkephalins suppress the motor activity of the esophagus and inhibit relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter.
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