Definition
- Upper oesophageal web
- Dysphagia
- Iron deficiency anaemia
Epidemiology
- Rare; mostly females
- Typically seen in
- Edentulous, middle-aged, malnourished women with atrophic oral mucosa, glossitis, spoon-shaped fingernails & Fe deficiency anaemia
Clinical findings
- Glossitis
- angular cheilitis
- koilonychia
- splenomegaly
- an enlarged thyroid
- symptoms of iron deficiency anemia (eg, fatigue and weakness)
Management
- iron repletion may lead to rapid resolution of the dysphagia before hematologic abnormalities are corrected
- in patients with significant obstruction of the esophageal lumen, esophageal dilation may also be required
- Annual surveillance upper endoscopy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma has also been suggested by some experts, although this has not been shown to improve patient outcomes
- Risk of Oesophageal cancer or pharyngeal Squamous cell carcinoma
