Plummer-Vinson Syndrome Affecting Esophagus

What Is Plummer-Vinson Syndrome Affecting the Esophagus?

Plummer-Vinson syndrome is a manifestation of severe, long-term, iron deficiency anemia that is characterized by post-cricoid esophageal webs and dysphagia.

Q: What are esophageal webs?

A: Esophageal webs are one or more thin horizontal membranes consisting of squamous epithelium (cells that line the surface of the esophagus) and submucosa. They usually protrude from the anterior (front) wall, extending laterally across the inside esophagus but not to the posterior (rear) wall, which means that they rarely encircle the lumen.1

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, from these webs is commonly painless and intermittent or progressive and may cause obstruction.

Webs can be detected by barium swallow X-ray, but the best way for demonstration is videofluoroscopy and by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. They appear smooth, thin, and gray with eccentric or central lumen space. The webs typically occur in the upper part of the esophagus and may be missed and accidentally ruptured unless the endoscope is introduced under direct visualization.1

Iron deficiency is believed to decrease the contraction amplitude or force of the esophageal muscle resulting in motility impairment. Slower transit times have been recorded at the proximal and middle parts of the esophagus of Plummer-Vinson syndrome patients compared to healthy volunteers.2 Transit time is how fast ingested food and fluids travel through the esophagus.

Gude et al, report that iron replacement does not necessarily reverse the dysphagia in all the cases of Plummer-Vinson syndrome and that close monitoring of the web is mandated to watch for malignant change.  In fact, 3 to 15 per cent of the patients with Plummer-Vinson syndrome, mostly women between 15 and 50 years of age, have been reported to develop esophageal or pharyngeal cancer.2

What Is Plummer-Vinson Syndrome Affecting the Esophagus In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

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1. Novacek G. Plummer-Vinson syndrome. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2006; 1: 36. Published online 2006 September 15. doi:  10.1186/1750-1172-1-36. [↩] [↩]
2. Gude D, Bansal DP, and Malu A. Revisiting Plummer Vinson Syndrome. Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research. 2013 Jan-Mar;3(1):119-121. [↩] [↩]