Barrett's esophagus (British English: oesophagus) (sometimes called Barrett's syndrome, CELLO, columnar epithelium lined lower esophagus and colloquially referred to as Barrett's) refers to an abnormal change (metaplasia) in the cells of the lower end of the esophagus thought to be caused by damage from chronic acid exposure, or reflux esophagitis. The normal lining of the esophagus (squamous epithelium) is replaced by an intestinal-type lining (...
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Barrett's esophagus (British English: oesophagus) (sometimes called Barrett's syndrome, CELLO, columnar epithelium lined lower esophagus and colloquially referred to as Barrett's) refers to an abnormal change (metaplasia) in the cells of the lower end of the esophagus thought to be caused by damage from chronic acid exposure, or reflux esophagitis. The normal lining of the esophagus (squamous epithelium) is replaced by an intestinal-type lining (columnar epithelium).
Barrett's esophagus is found in 5-15% of patients who seek medical care for heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD), although a large subgroup of patients with Barrett's esophagus do not have symptoms. It is considered to be a premalignant condition because it is associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer (more specifically, adenocarcinoma) of about 0.5% per patient-year. Diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus requires endoscopy (more specifically, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, a procedure in which a small...
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