Drug-induced esophageal injury

Abstract

Medication-induced esophageal injury is a relatively uncommon diagnosis in comparison to the millions of prescription and over-the-counter medication consumed annually. Though only a few classes of drugs account for the large majority of reported cases, over 100 medications have been implicated, though mainly in isolated case reports. The condition is probably underrecognized as the clinical presentation may be mistakenly ascribed to other conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease. Yet, the importance of this condition lies in the fact that it is an iatrogenic condition that can be cured in most instances with prompt recognition and discontinuation of the offending agent. Awareness of the factors that increase the risk for drug-induced esophageal injury (DEI) may allow for prevention in the first place.