Barrett's Esophagus

Contents of this Article

What is Barrett's Esophagus?
Normal Function of the Esophagus
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and Barrett's Esophagus
Barrett's Esophagus and Cancer of the Esophagus

Diagnosis and Screening
Treatment of Barrett's Esophagus
Surveillance for Dysplasia and Cancer
Treatment for Dysplasia or Esophageal Adenocarcinoma
Points to Remember

What is Barrett's Esophagus?

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 (GERD).

Normal Esophagus Metaplasia

Definitions For This Page - In Alphabetical Order

* Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Pronounced - GAH-stroh-eh-SAW-fuh-JEE-ul REE-fluks duh-zeez
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is the flow of the stomach's contents back up into the esophagus. Happens when the muscle between the esophagus and the stomach (the lower esophageal sphincter) is weak or relaxes when it shouldn't. May cause esophagitis. Also called esophageal reflux or reflux esophagitis. More about GERD.

References:
digestive.niddk.nih.gov

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GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease - GERD

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