Abnormal sensory perception in patients with esophageal chest pain

Oesophageal hypersensitivity is associated with features of psychiatric disorders and the irritable bowel syndrome

“…[4][5][6] Limited evidence suggests that functional heartburn may be associated with oesophageal hypersensitivity to physiologic stimuli or with psychiatric features such as anxiety. [7][8][9][10][11] However, many of these studies were performed in patients labelled with non-cardiac chest pain, a heterogeneous syndrome that likely includes GERD, functional heartburn, oesophageal dysmotility and other disorders. While many patients with GERD do not report heartburn, but instead another type of chest pain, other pain characteristics are less specific for GERD, and so it would be useful to compare patients with functional heartburn, per se, to those with true acid reflux.…”

Identification of the biomechanical factors associated with the perception of distension in the human esophagus

“…It has been proposed nonetheless that the mechanism responsible for the perception of distension is a tension receptor (10). If this were true, then both the circumferential stretch and intramural pressure induced by a distending stimulus would be relevant factors in determining sensation intensity.…”

Diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal causes of chest pain of uncertain origin

“…Abnormal sensory perception has been documented in the oesophagus and heart in patients with oesophageal chest pain 15 , which may account for the observed response to low-dose antidepressant therapy in several studies. However, quality of life may not be improved since many of these patients suffer from distressing side effects 16 .…”