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ORPHA:1199Morphological anomaly
Also called CEA · Congenital esophageal atresia · EA/TEF · Esophageal atresia with or without trachea-esophageal fistula · Oesophageal atresia
What it is
A rare congenital malformation characterized by an interruption in the continuity of the esophagus, with or without persistent communication with the trachea. The clinical presentation varies according to the anatomy, and can lead to the inability to swallow or, in the most severe cases, respiratory distress.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- 1-5 / 10 000 (Europe)
- Age of onset
- Neonatal
- Inheritance
- Not applicable
- Classified as
- Morphological anomaly
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
Signs and symptoms
Common30–79%
14- Absence of stomach bubble on fetal sonography
- Bronchitis
- Chronic pulmonary obstruction
- Dysphagia
- Esophagitis
- Excessive salivation
- Failure to thrive in infancy
- Feeding difficulties in infancy
- Gastrointestinal dysmotility
- Immunologic hypersensitivity
- Oral aversion
- Recurrent respiratory infections
- Restrictive ventilatory defect
- Vomiting
These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
ICD-10 codes
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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