Kim Kardashian’s latest health scare has her family rattled.
In a trailer for “The Kardashians” Season 8 dropped in Friday, the Skims founder, 44, revealed that she has “something called esophagitis.”
The promo shows Kim lying in what appears to be a hospital bed, dressed in a gown, as a voice offscreen asks, “Didn’t your father… isn’t it what he died of?”
The teaser then cuts to her mother, Kris Jenner, fighting back tears in a confessional. “I can’t; it makes me want to cry,” she admitted.
But don’t mistake the drama for a death sentence.
While Kim’s diagnosis may have a connection to the esophageal cancer that killed her father at just 59, the risk of the reality TV star’s condition developing into the disease is small.
The news comes about a year after Kim, 45, revealed that an MRI scan had detected a “little aneurysm” in her brain, which doctors theorized was likely fueled by stress. She later reassured fans that she was fine, telling “Good Morning America,” “Everything works out.”
Here’s what you need to know about Kim’s latest health revelation.
What is esophagitis?
It’s inflammation in the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food from your mouth down to your stomach, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Common symptoms include heartburn, difficulty or pain when swallowing, a sore throat, the feeling that something is stuck in your throat, mouth sores, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, it can also cause bleeding.
What causes esophagitis?
There are a few different culprits.
One of the most common causes is gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, in which stomach acid repeatedly backs up into the esophagus, according to Harvard Health.
Certain medications can also irritate the esophagus and lead to drug-induced esophagitis. These include commonly used drugs like aspirin, doxycycline, iron supplements, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and some osteoporosis medications.
Infections can cause esophagitis as well, though this is more common in people with weakened immune systems.
Then there’s eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, a rare chronic condition in which white blood cells called eosinophils build up in the esophagus, causing inflammation and damage.
How is esophagitis related to esophageal cancer?
Over time, chronic inflammation can lead to complications like Barrett’s esophagus, per the Mayo Clinic.
This condition strikes when stomach acid regularly flows back into the lower esophagus, often because of GERD. The ongoing exposure can damage the normal lining of the esophagus. As the body tries to repair that damage, the usual cells lining the esophagus can be replaced by cells that look more like those found in the intestines.
Barrett’s esophagus can increase the chance of developing esophageal cancer, although the risk remains low. For this reason, doctors may recommend regular monitoring to look for early cell changes and, if necessary, remove abnormal tissue before it develops into cancer.
How is esophagitis treated?
Fortunately, the esophagus can heal once the cause of the irritation is identified and addressed.
Treatment may include medications, such as those that help control acid reflux, reduce inflammation or treat fungal or viral infections.
Lifestyle changes may also help, including avoiding foods and drinks that trigger acid reflux or switching medications that irritate the esophagus.
Kim has yet to reveal publicly what type of esophagitis she has or what caused the inflammation. More details are expected to emerge when the new season of “The Kardashians” premieres on Hulu October 8.
It is unclear whether her father, Robert Kardashian, had been diagnosed with esophagitis or Barrett’s esophagus before he died of esophageal cancer in 2003 at age 59.
