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Barrett's Disease

Barrett's diseas, also known as Barrett's esophagus or Barrett's esophagitis, is a condition that characterized by inflammation of the esophagus. The esophagus is the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Barrett's disease occurs when the cells on the lining of the esophagus change to become similar to those on the lining of the intestines. A severe case of Barrett's esophagus can lead to esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is a fatal cancer of the esophagus.

  1. Symptoms

    • There are no symptoms that are specific to Barrett's esophagus. Since it is a complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), it shares the same symptoms as GERD. The most common symptoms of GERD include: heartburn, nausea, regurgitation, chest pain, persistent cough, difficulty swallowing and laryngitis. Some Barrett's esophagus patients might experience severe symptoms of GERD, while others might experience minimal or no symptoms at all. In some cases bleeding in the esophagus might also cause patients to cough up blood or blood in their stools.

    Causes

    • There are no specific causes of Barrett's esophagus, except that it occurs in people suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In GERD, the excess acids flow out of the stomach and into the esophagus. This happens because of a weak esophageal sphincter (a valve that prevents the contents of the stomach from flowing out). People who suffer from chronic acid reflux develop Barrett's disease during the course of a number of years. Overweight or obese people have a higher chance of contracting Barrett's esophagus.

    Treatment

    • There is no cure for Barrett's esophagus, but it is generally treated in the same way as GERD. A number of medications are used to prevent acid reflux, such as H2 blockers (cimetidine, famotidine etc.) and proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole, lansoprazole). To prevent GERD complications, patients need to make certain lifestyle changes, such as exercising more, losing weight, avoiding fatty foods, quitting smoking and sleeping with the upper body elevated. Early detection of Barrett's esophagus is extremely important before it develops into cancer. Cancer of the esophagus causes death within five years in 90 percent of affected patients.

    Treatment Options

    • Although there are no treatments that can completely cure Barrett's esophagus, there are a number of experimental procedures that are available but still require more research. These include photodynamic therapy (PDT), thermal ablation and endoscopic mucosal resection. These options are still in the experimental stage and have not shown to be significantly helpful.

    Surgery

    • Fundoplication is a surgical procedure that tightens the esophageal sphincter to prevent acid reflux. It is a treatment for GERD and might not help treat Barrett's esophagus. Esophagectomy is a surgical procedure that removes a section of the esophagus. It is generally reserved for people who have a heightened risk of contracting cancer or have already contracted it.

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