The aging oesophagus

Abstract

Oesophageal function in elderly patients has been studied in several cross-sectional studies. Only one prospective study on the effect of aging on oesophageal function was reported, in a rather young group of healthy volunteers.1 Earlier literature suggested a rather common degeneration of oesophageal function with aging. The term presbyoesophagus was proposed to describe an age related decrease in contractile amplitude, polyphasic waves in the oesophageal body, incomplete sphincter relaxation, and oesophageal dilatation.2 This notion has been abandoned more recently as it was felt that most motility disorders in old age are related to medical problems that accumulate during aging, such as diabetes mellitus, neurological disorders and the intake of numerous drugs. Investigations in healthy elderly people have shown only minor to mild alterations in oesophageal motility.