Esophageal symptom burden remains high and associates with failed swallows after 5 years in patients with ineffective esophageal motility

American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology 2026 Open access

Read full text
Authors: Andree Koop, Induja R. Nimma, Kevin Avaiya, Manar Al Jawish, Einar V. Acuna, Brian E. Lacy
DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00287.2025
Cited by: 0
References: 30

Abstract

Patients with ineffective esophageal motility continue to experience significant symptoms years after diagnosis. In this survey of 47 patients diagnosed ≥5 years earlier, 45% reported GERD symptoms and 75% reported dysphagia. Greater numbers of failed swallows correlated with worse GERD and dysphagia scores, highlighting the long-term clinical impact of IEM and its association with esophageal symptom burden.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Gastroesophageal reflux and treatments Dysphagia Assessment and Management Gastrointestinal motility and disorders

Publication details

Journal / source
American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology
Volume
330
Issue
3
Pages
G315–G321
Publication date
31 January 2026
Language
EN