system
Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
user
A previously healthy 55-year-old man comes to the physician because of a 5-month history of progressively worsening substernal chest pain after meals. The pain occurs almost daily, is worst after eating spicy food or drinking coffee, and often wakes him up from sleep at night. He has not had any weight loss. He has smoked 1 pack of cigarettes daily for 35 years and he drinks 1 to 2 glasses of wine daily with dinner. Physical examination is unremarkable. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy shows erythema of the distal esophagus with two small mucosal erosions. Biopsy specimens obtained from the esophagus show no evidence of metaplasia. Without treatment, this patient is at greatest risk for which of the following complications?
assistant
Esophageal stricture