What are esophageal disorders?

What are esophageal disorders?

Esophageal disorders are a collection of conditions that affect how the esophagus works. Your esophagus — or the food pipe — is the part of the digestive system that helps food travel from your mouth to your stomach.

Different diseases can affect the esophagus, causing dysphagia or difficulty swallowing. The most common esophageal disorder is gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is the condition in which excessive stomach acid moves back into the esophagus (acid reflux), causing inflammation.