esophagitis

Thân thiện

A doctor shows a patient a diagram of esophagitis during a consultation.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Inflammation of the esophagus: A medical condition characterized by swelling, irritation, or inflammation of the lining of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. This is often caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), where stomach acid flows back into the esophagus.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Chronic heartburn can lead to esophagitis.
  • The doctor diagnosed the patient with reflux esophagitis after an endoscopy.
  • Treatment for esophagitis often includes medications to reduce stomach acid.

Advanced Usage

• Eosinophilic esophagitis: A specific, chronic immune system disease where a type of white blood cell (eosinophil) builds up in the lining of the esophagus, often in response to allergens.

  • His difficulty swallowing was due to eosinophilic esophagitis, which required allergy testing.

• Reflux esophagitis: The most common form, specifically caused by the backflow of stomach acid.

  • Lifestyle changes are crucial for managing reflux esophagitis.

Variants and Related Words

• Esophageal (adj): Pertaining to the esophagus.

  • The patient had an esophageal ulcer.

• Esophagoscope (n): An instrument for examining the esophagus.

• Esophagoscopy (n): The examination of the esophagus using an esophagoscope.

Synonyms

• Oesophagitis (noun): The British English spelling of the same condition.
• Inflammation of the esophagus (noun phrase): A descriptive synonym.

Word Origin and Notes

• Origin: The word is formed from "esophagus" (from Greek , meaning "gullet") + the suffix "-itis" (from Greek, indicating inflammation). Thus, it literally means "inflammation of the esophagus."
• Note: "Esophagitis" is the American English spelling. The British English spelling is "oesophagitis."

Học thuật

Noun

1. inflammation of the esophagus; often caused by gastroesophageal reflux

Từ đồng nghĩa

• oesophagitis