Abstract
Dysphagia is a symptom common to many inflammatory processes affecting the oesophagus. Infectious aetiologies are often accompanied by odinophagia, symptoms have a continuous course and presents predominantly in immunosuppressed patients, mainly due to HIV infection, immunosuppressive therapy or chemotherapy. Oesophageal candidiasis is the most common infection in immunocompetent as well. Its diagnosis requires endoscopy and biopsies, the later being essential for the characterization of other viral esophagitis, such as those caused by herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus and varicella-zoster virus, which require specific treatments. Eosinophilic esophagitis constitutes the 2nd cause of chronic esophagitis, is immunologically mediated and predominantly affects males between childhood and the 5th decade of life. It presents with chronic or intermittent dysphagia and food impaction. Endoscopic features are diverse, but the diagnosis requires biopsies, after which the treatment may be based on avoidance of food allergens, topical steroids or oesophageal endoscopic dilation in case of strictures.
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