Etiologic evaluation of patients with dysphagia admitted to ENT and Thorax surgery wards of Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Northeast of Iran

ntroduction: Dysphagia is a common chief complain of various diseases with different benign or malignant etiologies. Iran is one of countries with a high incidence rate of esophageal cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the common causes of dysphagia for earlier diagnosis and treatment of this disease and reduction of its morbidity and mortality rate. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, we analyzed the etiology of dysphagia in 200 patients who were admitted to ENT and thorax surgery wards of Mashhad Ghaem Hospital during 2005-2007. Results: Of 200 patients, 79 patients were female and 121 patients were male. The most prevalent cause of dysphagia in these patients was esophageal SCC and the most common endoscopic presentation was the ulcerative view. Other common etiologic factors were esophageal stenosis, adenocarcinoma, mediastinal tumors, achalasia, lyomyoma, sarcoma and diffuse esophageal spasm, respectively. Conclusion: According to these results, the complaint of dysphagia with or without odinophagia has particular clinical importance, especially in our country with high frequency of esophageal malignancies.