does anyone know anything about barrett's disease?

Answer 1

This is one the main complications of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Barrett's esophagus is replacement of reflux-damaged squamous epithelium in the distal esophagus by metaplastic, specialized columnar epithelium. It is found in 10 to 15% of patients with GERD, principally in whites. Barrett's metaplasia, which is more acid-resistant than squamous epithelium, produces no symptoms. Barrett's metaplasia is a premalignant lesion that increases the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma 30-fold to 125-fold over that of the general population. The incidence of cancer in Barrett's in patients with GERD, which has increased 350% in white men over the last 30 years, is 0.5% per year, with a lifetime prevalence of about 10%. Factors that increase the risk of malignancy in Barrett's include white race, male sex, alcohol and tobacco use, obesity, and Barrett's length. Nonetheless, life expectancy with Barrett's is similar to that of the general population because the cancer rate in the United States is low (6000 cases/year) and because of the late age (mean: mid-60s) at which it develops.

The condition is reversible if GERD is successfully treated.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food and saliva from the mouth to the stomach, changes so that some of its lining is replaced by a type of tissue similar to that normally found in the intestine. This process is called intestinal metaplasia.
While Barrett's esophagus may cause no symptoms itself, a small number of people with this condition develop a relatively rare but often deadly type of cancer of the esophagus called esophageal adenocarcinoma. Barrett's esophagus is estimated to affect about 700,000 adults in the United States. It is associated with the very common condition gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.

Answer 4

Barrett's Esophagus

Barrett's esophagus is a condition that develops in some people who have chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis). In Barrett's esophagus, the normal cells that line the esophagus, called squamous cells, turn into a type of cell not usually found in humans, called specialized columnar cells. Damage to the lining of the esophagus - for example, by acid reflux from GERD - causes these abnormal changes.

People who have had regular or daily heartburn for more than 5 years may be at risk for Barrett's esophagus and should discuss the possibility with their doctor. Symptoms include waking during the night because of heartburn pain, vomiting, blood in vomit or stool, and difficulty swallowing. Some people do not have symptoms.

Diagnosis involves an endoscopy to look at the lining of the esophagus and a biopsy to examine a sample of tissue. To do an endoscopy, the doctor gently guides a long, thin tube called an endoscope through the mouth and into the esophagus. The scope contains instruments that allow the doctor to see the lining of the esophagus and to remove a small tissue sample, called a biopsy. The biopsy will be examined in a lab to see whether the normal squamous cells have been replaced with columnar cells.

Once the cells in the lining of the esophagus have turned into columnar cells, they will not revert back to normal. In other words, at this time, there is no cure for Barrett's esophagus. The goal of treatment is to prevent further damage by stopping any acid reflux from the stomach. Medications that are helpful include H2 receptor antagonists (or H2 blockers) and proton pump inhibitors, which reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach. Examples of H2 blockers are cimetidine, ranitidine, and famotidine; the drugs omeprazole and lansoprazole are proton pump inhibitors. If these medications do not work, surgery to remove damaged tissue or a section of the esophagus itself may be necessary. Fundoplication is the name of the surgery to remove part of the esophagus and attach the stomach to the remaining section.

Sometime the damaged lining of the esophagus becomes thick and hardened, causing strictures, or narrowing of the esophagus. Strictures can interfere with eating and drinking by preventing food and liquid from reaching the stomach. Strictures are treated by dilation, in which an instrument gently stretches the strictures and expands the opening in the esophagus.

About 5 to 10 percent of people with Barrett's develop cancer of the esophagus. Because of the cancer risk, people with Barrett's esophagus are screened for esophageal cancer regularly.

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