A rare condition prohibits child from swallowing food
19-year-old, Razia Khatoon (name changed) has been successfully operated for throat disease in a private hospital in the metropolis. Razia had been suffering from a rare disease called ‘Achalasia Cardia’ since she was 3 years old. As a result of this condition, she was unable to swallow any solid food. Razia’s distressed parents looked up for help from doctors at Amri Hospital, Mukundapur, Kolkata. After a streenous surgery, doctors successfully operated Razia, so she will now be able to eat solid food.
Doctors said that Razia had been suffering from ‘Achalasia Cardia’ since birth. He said that usually when a person swallows food, the sphincter (valve-like structure) found in the lower part called Lower Esophageal Sphincter, of the food pipe opens and allows the food to go into the stomach. Nerve cells control the opening and closing of the sphincter.
The doctors said that in people who suffer from Achalasia Cardia, their nerve cells gradually disappear. The LES fails to relax during swallowing which prohibits food from transferring into the stomach. As a result, food starts collecting in the food pipe. This leads to difficulty in swallowing food, vomiting and weight loss.
Dr. Sanjay Mandal, who performed the surgery on the girl, said, ‘Razia and her parents had visited the hospital first from the treatment. After the medical tests, it was found that the girl had Achalasia Cardia, which occurs in one in two million children. This was the second major operation this girl underwent in 14 years’. Dr. Sanjay Mandal and Dr. Subashish Saha of Amri Hospital, Mukundpur carried out this successful operation. It is known that the first operation of the girl was done in the year 2008 by Dr. Subashish Saha. This time the matter was more complicated and the risks were also high. Despite this, Dr. Sanjay Mandal and Dr. Subashish Saha performed the surgery for the second time. Dr. Sanjay Mandal said that now Razia is relieved and will be able to eat food without any difficulty.
