The Prevalence of Barrett’s Esophagus in Outpatients with Dyspepsia in Shaheed Beheshti Hospital of Kashan

Abstract

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the main known etiological factor for Barrett's esophagus (BE), and BE is the precursor lesion of esophageal adenocarcinoma. The prevalence of BE is reported mostly from gastroenterology centers and there are only a few reported cases from outpatients with dyspepsia. A large number of patients with GERD have degrees of dyspepsia. This study primarily aimed to determine the prevalence of BE in dyspeptic patients. Outpatients with dyspepsia who referred to our Endoscopy Unit for endoscopy were included in this study. Esophageal biopsy was performed by an endoscopist, and BE diagnosis was established based on the abnormal appearance of the distal esophagus in endoscopy and also based on the presence of intestinal metaplasia in pathologic examination. The prevalence of BE was 5.4% (based on endoscopy) and 3.7% (based on pathology). Sixty-nine percent of the patients with confirmed BE were younger than 50 and 31% were over 50 years of age. Eighty-one percent of the patients with confirmed BE reported GERD symptoms as their dominant dyspepsia symptom, whereas only 20.4% of those without BE reported GERD symptoms (P<0.001). Additionally, BE had a relatively high prevalence in our dyspeptic patients. The high prevalence of GERD symptoms in BE underscores the need for endoscopy for dyspeptic patients.