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Review
. 2021 Dec;50(4):905-918.
doi: 10.1016/j.gtc.2021.08.005.

Scleroderma and the Esophagus

Nitin K Ahuja  1 , John O Clarke  2
Affiliations
Review

Scleroderma and the Esophagus

Nitin K Ahuja et al. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

The gastrointestinal tract is the second largest organ system in the body and is often affected by connective tissue disorders. Scleroderma is the classic rheumatologic disease affecting the esophagus; more than 90% of patients with scleroderma have esophageal involvement. This article highlights esophageal manifestations of scleroderma, focusing on pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnostic considerations, and treatment options. In addition, this article briefly reviews the esophageal manifestations of other key connective tissue disorders, including mixed connective tissue disease, myositis, Sjogren syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, fibromyalgia, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Keywords: Aperistalsis; Dysphagia; Ehler-Danlos; Fibromyalgia; Lupus; Myositis; Scleroderma; Sjogren.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure J.O. Clarke has received honoraria for consulting from Alnylam, Isothrive, Medtronic, Regeneron, and Sanofi. N.K. Ahuja has served on advisory boards for Takeda and Laborie and has received honoraria for consulting from Medtronic and GlaxoSmithKline and research support from Nestle and Vanda. No conflicts of interest exist.