title: Pharmacological and other treatment modalities for esophageal pain.
abstract: Treatment of esophageal pain remains a major challenge for the clinician. Although many patients have heartburn and may respond to proton pump inhibitors, there in an unmet need for other treatment modalities in patients where there are no obvious pathological findings. Although analgesics are the mainstay in esophageal pain treatment, many patients are nonresponders to these drugs. The current concise review focuses on other systems affecting pain processing, where better understanding may serve as a framework for therapy. These are the parasympathetic nervous system, exercise, and personality profiles. Finally, treatment with analgesics for functional chest pain remains a challenge, and an overview of treatment with antidepressive drugs is provided.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Medicine HMR Hospital Trust, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Aalesund Hospital, Aalesund, Norway. dag.hoff@helse-mr.no.
authors.forename: Dag Arne Lihaug
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hoff
authors.affiliation: Mech-Sense, Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Aalborg University Hospital and Clinical Institute, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brock
authors.affiliation: Mech-Sense, Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Aalborg University Hospital and Clinical Institute, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.|Centre for Digestive Diseases, Blizard Institute, Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.|Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospitals of North Midlands, Stoke on Trent, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Adam D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Farmer
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petach Tikva & Sackler School of Medicine, University of Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Ram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dickman
authors.affiliation: Centre for Digestive Diseases, Blizard Institute, Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: James K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Ruffle
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Anisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaker
authors.affiliation: Mech-Sense, Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Aalborg University Hospital and Clinical Institute, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Asbjørn M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Drewes
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004947:Esophagus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D010551:Personality / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents
keywords: esophagus; pain; pharmacology