K20.0: Eosinophilic esophagitis

Your esophagus has an allergy-type inflammation.

The oesophagus or gullet connects the mouth with the stomach. It is a muscular tube. The muscles in the oesophagus move food into the stomach. The inside of the oesophagus is hollow and lined with mucous membrane.

The immune system protects the body from pathogens and foreign substances. The immune system can also destroy cells in the body that have pathologically changed. With an allergy, the immune system overreacts to certain substances. Such substances may be harmless substances in the environment, drugs or certain chemicals, for example. The allergy-type inflammation of the esophagus can be triggered by food, for example. Sometimes the inflammation occurs together with hay fever or asthma, for example.

The inflammation can damage the mucous membrane of the esophagus. If the esophagus is inflamed for a long time, the esophagus can suffer constrictions. If the esophagus is inflamed or constricted, swallowing may present problems. There may also be pain behind the breastbone or in the upper abdomen. You may also suffer from bitter burping.

Additional indicator

On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.

  • G: Confirmed diagnosis
  • V: Tentative diagnosis
  • Z: Condition after
  • A: Excluded diagnosis
  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.
Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).