About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Signs and symptoms of esophageal spasms include:
- Squeezing pain in your chest, often intense, which you might mistake for heart pain (angina)
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- The feeling that an object is stuck in your throat (globus)
- The return of food and liquids back up your esophagus (regurgitation)
When to see a doctor
See your doctor if you have signs and symptoms that worry you. Esophageal spasms can cause squeezing chest pain — a symptom that can also be caused by a heart attack. If you experience squeezing chest pain and aren't sure what's causing your symptoms, seek medical attention right away.
- Orlando RC. Diseases of the esophagus. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/201609212-3/0/1492/0.html. Accessed July 1, 2010.
- Maish M. Esophagus. In: Townsend CM, et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/207919050-3/0/1565/0.html. Accessed July 1, 2010.
- Kahrilas PJ, et al. Esophageal neuromuscular function and motility disorders. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisinger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookHome&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&uniq=200844987-3. Accessed July 1, 2010.
- Picco MP (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. July 7, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on