Research in Medicine

Background : Barrett's esophagus is a precancerous lesion leading to esophageal carcinoma in 10% of cases. It is usually remained undetected during endoscopy and most of physicians do not take biopsy from gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) when it seems to be normal. In the present study we have determined the frequency of Barrett's esophagus in a group of Iranian patients referring for endoscopy to our unit.

 Materials and methods : During an eight-month period, 146 patients who had referred to our endoscopy unit entered our study regardless of their indication for endoscopy. A questionnaire dealing with demographic features, clinical manifestation of reflux, and indication for endoscopy was completed. During endoscopy, 2-4 biopsies obtained from Z-line. Finally, data were analyzed using SPSS software.

Results : The study population included 78 females and 68 males. Abdominal discomfort was the most common presenting manifestation (67.8%). Other symptoms were reflux (7.9%), dysphagia (17.1%), chest pain (28.1%), and regurgitation (4.8%). Endoscopy revealed short segment Barrett's esophagus in 13%, long segment Barrett's esophagus in 4.8%, esophagitis in 11% and hiatal hernia in 11%. Pathologic studies showed Barrett's esophagus in 4 (2.7%) patients, of whom, 2 had clinical manifestations of reflux and 3 failed to have endoscopic appearance of Barrett's esophagus.

Conclusion : As noted previously, 10% of cases with Barrett's esophagus may lead to esophageal adenocarcinoma, thus, appropriate criteria should be established to diagnose patients with Barrett's esophagus during their early stage.