Chronic alcoholism and esophageal motor activity: a 24-h ambulatory manometry study

Stationary esophageal manometry has shown esophageal motor abnormalities in patients with chronic alcoholism. The abnormalities identified in different studies are not consistent. Twenty-four hour ambulatory esophageal manometry enables monitoring of esophageal motor activity under a variety of physiological conditions and gives a more complete assessment.

Twenty-four hour ambulatory esophageal manometry and pH-metry were performed using a combined pH and pressure catheter. Subjects with chronic alcoholism with no other illness and not in withdrawal were studied with age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Autonomic nerve functions tests were performed in all subjects.

Twenty-three chronic alcoholic subjects and 12 control subjects completed the study. The median ethanol consumption was 95 g/day (range 75 -175 g/day) for 12 years (range 5-30 years) among alcoholic subjects. Eight alcoholic subjects had heartburn and regurgitation but none had dysphagia. Ten (43%) alcoholic subjects had autonomic neuropathy and four (17%) had increased gastroesophageal acid reflux. Lower esophageal sphincter hypertension was observed in alcoholic subjects with autonomic neuropathy. Esophageal body motility parameters (i.e. frequency, duration, amplitude and percentage of peristaltic waves) were not significantly different between alcoholic subjects and controls.

Results of ambulatory esophageal manometry on subjects with chronic alcoholism seem to indicate that long-term ethanol intake has no major effects on esophageal motor activity other than lower esophageal sphincter hypertension among those with alcoholic autonomic neuropathy.