Long-term follow-up of symptomatic status of patients with noncardiac chest pain: is diagnosis of esophageal etiology helpful?

Questionnaires were sent to 119 patients with noncardiac chest pain, all of whom had previous detailed esophageal evaluations in which 63 were diagnosed as having pain from the esophagus. Mean follow-up period was 21.8 months. Patients diagnosed as having an esophageal etiology of their noncardiac chest pain usually continued to have recurrent pain. Furthermore, a specific diagnosis did not significantly increase the likelihood of pain resolution. However, patients who understood that the esophagus was the source of their pain were significantly less likely to feel disabled by their pain and to require continued physician evaluation. This finding was independent of any treatment program. This study emphasizes the importance of a careful evaluation of the esophagus as a potential source of pain and clearly communicating this information to the patient.