Roberto Oliveira Dantas*

Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

*Corresponding Author: Roberto Oliveira Dantas, Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.

Received: January 03, 2025; Published: February 10, 2025

Abstract

Background: Chagas disease affects the heart, esophagus, and colon. In the esophagus, the changes are similar to those of idiopathic achalasia: non-peristaltic contractions in the body of the esophagus and non-relaxation of the lower sphincter. The loss of the myenteric plexus caused by the disease affects the amplitude of contractions.

Objective: This investigation aimed to assess the amplitude of esophageal contractions in patients with Chagas disease with no or little abnormal radiological results.

Material and Methods: The study assessed 99 patients with Chagas disease (61 with normal radiological esophageal results and 38 with slow transit without dilation) and 40 controls with continuous perfusion manometry. The contraction amplitude in the proximal, middle, and distal esophageal parts was assessed with 10 swallows of 5 mL of water alternated with 10 dry swallows.

Results: The amplitudes were higher with water swallowing than dry swallowing and were lower in Chagas disease patients than controls. Patients with dysphagia did not differ from those without dysphagia, and patients with heart disease did not differ from those without heart disease.

Conclusion: The contraction amplitude is significantly reduced in esophagopathy caused by Chagas disease, even in those with little involvement; dry swallowing causes similar amplitude in the proximal and middle parts of the esophagus of controls and Chagas disease patients; dry swallowing does not cause contractions with different amplitude in proximal, middle, and distal parts in patients with slow transit; the occurrence of dysphagia and heart disease did not influence the amplitude of the contraction.

Keywords: Chagas Disease; Achalasia; Swallowing Disorders; Esophagus; Myenteric Plexus

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Citation

Citation: Roberto Oliveira Dantas. “Esophageal Contraction Amplitude After Wet and Dry Swallows in Patients with Mild Esophageal Involvement by Chagas Disease". Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 9.3 (2025): 20-24.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Roberto Oliveira Dantas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.