Esophageal motility in Raynaud's disease, systemic scleroderma and presclerodermal Raynaud's syndrome

Fifty-five consecutive subjects with Raynaud's phenomenon were submitted to esophageal manometry. According to the results of clinical examination and periungual capillaroscopy, they were divided into three groups: sixteen patients presented presclerodermal Raynaud's phenomenon, and nineteen, systemic sclerosis; twenty others had Raynaud's disease. Twenty volunteers formed the control group. Esophageal motor disorders were observed in the group with presclerodermal Raynaud's phenomenon, affecting the esophageal lower sphincter and the peristalsis of the body of the esophagus. In the group with systemic sclerosis, these motor disorders were associated with alterations in the amplitude and the duration of contractions. Esophageal motility was normal in subjects with Raynaud's disease. We can conclude that: 1) esophageal motor disorders can be seen in presclerodermal Raynaud's phenomenon. The kind of abnormalities observed at this stage of the disease are in favor of an early alteration of the neurogenic component of esophageal motility; 2) there is no relationship between esophageal motor disorders and Raynaud's phenomenon in scleroderma.