An epidemiological study of achalasia among the South Asian population of Leicester, 1986-2005.

Achalasia is an uncommon esophageal motility disorder of unknown etiology that predominantly affects people over the age of 50. The overall incidence in this study was 0.89 cases/10(5)/year. There was no significant difference in the proportion of South Asian women with achalasia compared to the proportion of men affected in the whole population nor between the male-to-female ratio in the patient group compared to the healthy population. Throughout the twentieth century there have been sporadic attempts to find any etiological link but to date none have been confirmed. However, there is evidence that environmental factors may be important and these are reflected in geographical differences in the distribution of the disease. In this study we were also unable to identify any triggering factor responsible for the development of achalasia.