Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0014848 (achalasia)
 2,804 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

There are many anatomical, physiopathological, and cognitive changes that occur in the elderly that affect different components of airway management: intubation, ventilation, oxygenation, and risk of aspiration. Anatomical changes occur in different areas of the airway from the oral cavity to the larynx. Common changes to the airway include tooth decay, oropharyngeal tumors, and significant decreases in neck range of motion. These changes may make intubation challenging by making it difficult to visualize the vocal cords and/or place the endotracheal tube. Also, some of these changes, including but not limited to, atrophy of the muscles around the lips and an edentulous mouth, affect bag mask ventilation due to a difficult face-mask seal. Physiopathologic changes may impact airway management as well. Common pulmonary issues in the elderly (eg, obstructive sleep apnea and COPD) increase the risk of an oxygen desaturation event, while gastrointestinal issues (eg, achalasia and gastroesophageal reflux disease) increase the risk of aspiration. Finally, cognitive changes (eg, dementia) not often seen as related to airway management may affect patient cooperation, especially if an awake intubation is required. Overall, degradation of the airway along with other physiopathologic and cognitive changes makes the elderly population more prone to complications related to airway management. When deciding which airway devices and techniques to use for intubation, the clinician should also consider the difficulty associated with ventilating the patient, the patient's risk of oxygen desaturation, and/or aspiration. For patients who may be difficult to bag mask ventilate or who have a risk of aspiration, a specialized supralaryngeal device may be preferable over bag mask for ventilation. Patients with tumors or decreased neck range of motion may require a device with more finesse and maneuverability, such as a flexible fiberoptic broncho-scope. Overall, geriatric-focused airway management is necessary to decrease complications in this patient population.
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PMID:Anatomic and physiopathologic changes affecting the airway of the elderly patient: implications for geriatric-focused airway management. 2667 4

Type 1 myotonic dystrophy (MD) is a rare inherited disease which presents with skeletal muscle weakness and myotonia. Involvement of smooth muscles is also common and mainly manifests in the gastrointestinal tract. We report a case of type 1 MD who presented with dysphagia and was found to have unique esophageal manometry findings. A 57-year-old male patient presented with dysphagia for the last few months. Past medical history was significant for type 1 myotonic muscular dystrophy, gastroesophageal reflux disease, diaphragmatic paralysis, and obstructive sleep apnea. Both his father and brother died in their 50s because of unclear respiratory problems. He was a former smoker and did not drink alcohol. Review of systems was unremarkable. His neurological examination was significant for bilateral facial muscle weakness and mild ptosis. He had atrophy and weakness of the distal upper and lower extremities. Deep tendon reflexes were absent. Upper endoscopy and 24-hour esophageal pH testing were non-diagnostic. Finally, esophageal manometry revealed elevated lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure, elevated upper esophageal sphincter (UES) pressure, and very week peristalsis of the esophageal body. Esophageal involvement is common in type 1 MD manifesting with dysfunction of UES, esophageal body, and LES. Manometry usually describes a reduced resting tone of the UES and LES. The patient had elevated LES pressure and week peristalsis of the esophageal body consistent with achalasia. He also had an elevated UES pressure consistent with cricopharyngeal achalasia. This is the opposite of what is expected in type 1 MD.
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PMID:Combined achalasia and cricopharyngeal achalasia in a patient with type 1 myotonic dystrophy: a case report. 3230 42