Five swallowing conditions, one tube
You can’t look up a word nobody has told you.
Start from what you notice, in your own words. Explore five conditions people have described with these phrases, and learn what to discuss with a doctor. Many other causes are possible.
What do you notice?
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Names to ask about
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Top of the throat to the stomach
Same tube, five places it can go wrong
- A pouch just above the upper sphincterZenker'sA tight upper sphincter pushes out a pocket that catches foodMostly people in their 70s and 80s
- The upper sphincter, at the bottom of the throatR-CPDWill not open to let air come back upUsually starts in childhood
- The upper sphincter, at the bottom of the throatA-CPDWill not open fully to let food go downMostly older adults
- The body of the esophagus, between the two sphinctersSpasmSqueezes too early, or far too hardMostly older adults
- The lower sphincter, where the esophagus meets the stomachAchalasiaWill not open to let food into the stomach, and the pushing wave stopsMost often starts between 30 and 60
R-CPD and A-CPD are the same muscle failing in opposite directions. Zenker’s pouch grows above that same muscle. Achalasia is the same kind of failure at the other end of the tube.
Why the name is hard to find
One has been studied for decades. One was named in 2019.
9,296vs89
records returned by our achalasia search, compared with 89 by our modern-name R-CPD search. Counts depend on the terms used.
1of5
conditions for which our search found dedicated diagnostic-delay studies. For achalasia it is about two years. People with R-CPD in one clinic had symptoms for about 17 years before diagnosis, and almost all of them found the name themselves.
33and0
studies listed as recruiting or not yet recruiting across these conditions, and none for R-CPD. Checked 8 October 2026.