**8. Complications of infectious esophagitis**

Unless a person has a medical condition that weakens his/her immunity, the complications of infectious esophagitis are rare, and they may include the following [43, 44]:


#### **9. Prognosis**

The prognosis of infectious esophagitis is good with quick diagnosis, including effective and efficient treatment. Ultimately, prognosis depends on the underlying disease process.

Mild symptoms of esophagitis results in minimal morbidity and mortality. People with moderate-to- severe symptoms may suffer anxiety and lost time from work, which could lead to medical evaluations for more serious causes of pain.

#### *Infectious Esophagitis DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99917*

Esophageal strictures (typically long, smooth, tapered areas of narrowing), malnutrition, and, rarely, perforation or bleeding can occur as a result of complicated esophagitis.

Barrett esophagus and adenocarcinoma are serious gastrointestinal complications of esophagitis in addition to strictures. In children, gastric content aspiration is a potentially serious respiratory complication that occurs frequently, that can be linked to apnea, pneumonitis and bronchospasm.

Odynophagia, malnutrition, dyspnea and pain may be as a result of severe esophagitis. On rare occasions, death may occur as a result of life threatening bleeding, but outcomes and survival in these patients are associated to the severity of their underlying systemic diseases.

Due to the fact that recurrence is a frequent problem in patients with reflux, many patients require maintenance therapy to prevent relapse of symptoms.

As *Candida* esophagitis is often self-limiting, many patients responds antifungal therapy [42, 43]. However, mycetoma, a fungus ball that causes obstruction may be formed from necrotic mucosal debris and fungal mycelia in the esophagus. The formation of strictures as a result of severe *Candida* esophagitis can also be seen in some patients. Rare fistula development into the tree of the bronchi, including ulceration and hemorrhage are other complications of infectious esophagitis, which will give poor outcome for the patients [43, 44].

Herpes esophagitis usually resolves spontaneously in immunocompetent patients within one to two weeks with conservative treatment involving analgesia and sedation. Rare complications of herpes esophagitis include perforation, tracheoesophageal fistulas, and dissemination to other organs.

Generally, most healthy individuals with infectious esophagitis recover within two to four weeks with proper therapy. However, recovery in people with comprised immunity (immunosuppressed people) recovery may take longer due to various factors.
