DISCUSSION:
The major symptom associated with achalasia is slowly progressive dysphagia for both solids and liquids and is seen in 79%-100% of affected patients. Other common symptoms are regurgitation (63%), heartburn (41%), non-cardiac chest pain (22%), epigastric pain (15%) and odynophagia (<5%). In patients with achalasia, respiratory symptoms are also common: cough (37%), aspiration (31%), hoarseness (21%), wheezing (16%), sore throat (12%), dyspnea (10%) and weight loss (10%) (Table I).13,14