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Glite Dictionary
achalasia

achalasia

1 9.9
The food pipe cannot move food into the stomach because its muscles do not work
  • noun
  • /ˌɑːkəˈleɪziə/
  • Specialized
: achalasia
  • Patients with achalasia often struggle with chest pain and frequent regurgitation.

Examples

  • Achalasia is a serious condition that prevents the achalasia from properly moving food into the stomach.

  • Laparoscopic cardiomyotomy for achalasia has substituted open surgery and other forms of endoscopic treatment due to their excellent results with low morbidity.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Doctors diagnosed him with achalasia after he experienced difficulty swallowing.

Synonyms

cardiospasm
vsachalasia
  • Specialized
9.9

A sudden tightening of the muscle at the bottom of the food pipe that stops food entering the stomach

is a broader muscle failure stopping food movement along the esophagus

Surface Forms

achalasia singular
achalasia plural

Morphology

achalasia = chalasia (opaque) = a + chalasia

The prefix 'a-' is a recognisable medical negator, but the combining form 'chalasia' is not a familiar standalone English word, so learners cannot reliably infer the meaning from its parts.

Etymology

The word achalasia comes from the parts a- meaning 'not' and chalasis meaning 'relaxation' or 'loosening', so it literally means 'not relaxing'. This is a helpful memory: in achalasia the esophagus muscles do not relax properly, so food cannot move easily into the stomach.