Barrett’s Esophagus: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

What Is Barrett's Esophagus?

Sometimes the acid in our stomach does not stay inside the stomach. Instead, the acid and acidic content travel up the food pipe and reach our mouth. Eventually, this acid destroys the inner lining of the food pipe.

Such prolonged damage ultimately leads to some fatal changes in our foodpipe or esophagus. These serious changes can lead to cancer. That is why this condition is called a premalignant condition, where your damaged cells of the foodpipe ultimately turn into cancerous cells if not treated. In the United States alone, almost 5.6 percent of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) develop this condition. Almost 5 to 12 percent of patients worldwide who have GERD can develop this condition.

What Can Cause Barrett's Esophagus?

Your stomach produces acid, which helps with digestion. However, this acid or stomach contents doesn't go back up to your foodpipe. A valve-like structure known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) guards the junction between your stomach and foodpipe. This sphincter does not let the acid enter your esophagus. However, if your sphincter is dysfunctional, the acid can reach your foodpipe.

Continuous and regular exposure of this acid to the esophageal mucosa causes severe damage to the underlying cells. This damage is responsible for unnatural cell growth, unusual changes within the cells, and dysfunctional cell functioning. This causes unnatural changes in the cells of the foodpipe, which may turn into cancer in the future.

What Are the Symptoms of Barrett's Esophagus?

Barrett’s esophagus itself does not produce any symptoms. That is why Barrett's esophagus symptoms are similar to acid reflux disorder or chronic hyperacidity. You will fill in the following things:

1. The most common complication will be heartburn. In most cases, we will feel heartburn right after eating.

2. Another common symptom will be a sensation of fullness in the abdomen. Also, you can feel that something is stuck in your throat or a sensation of a lump-like substance in your throat. You will also feel difficulty in swallowing.

3. When you wake up in the morning, you may feel a sourness inside your mouth.

4. In some rare cases, you might feel pain or heaviness in your chest.

What Are the Risk Factors Associated With Barrett's Esophagus?

The risk factors related to Barrett’s esophagus are;

1. If you are suffering from diseases like gastroesophageal reflux disorder or erosive esophagitis, you have a high probability of having Barrett’s esophagus.

2. If you are obese and suffering from central obesity, you may suffer from this.

3. The habit of having too much processed or ultraprocessed food or the habit of not having food on time increases your risk of having Barrett’s esophagus.

4. If you are a smoker or have a habit of drinking alcohol, you can have this fatal disease.

Who Is at Risk?

The chances of having Barrett’s esophagus are high among middle-aged people. Males above 50 are especially susceptible to this. Also, a family history of this kind of disease can increase your risk. This is more common among people from Western countries like the United States.

How to Diagnose Barrett's Esophagus?

Barrett's esophagus diagnosis is not an easy job. If you are suffering from regular acidity or problems due to acid reflux, you should visit the doctor regularly. Based on your symptoms and condition, the doctor may ask for an endoscopy, where the doctor visualizes your foodpipe through a camera-like device.

It should be kept in mind that regular check-ups, follow-ups, and endoscopic evaluations can identify this abnormality. However, recently, doctors have found that traditional endoscopy is not sufficient to diagnose Barrett’s esophagus. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, a new diagnostic endoscopic process, is very effective in this regard. Also, doctors sometimes use dyes to identify dysfunctional or abnormal cells inside your foodpipe. This technique is known as chromoendoscopy.

After identifying the presence of abnormal cells inside your foodpipe, doctors scrape off those cells.

Following this, the pathologist accesses those cells under the microscope and identifies the extent of harmful changes. Barrett's esophagus without dysplasia does not show early cancer-like changes. However, the presence of dysplasia signifies changes within cells that might turn into cancer.

What Are the Treatment Options for Barrett's Esophagus?

Barrett's esophagus treatment starts with prevention and proper diagnosis.

Histopathological examination or assessment of the cells is the most important thing, as it helps to find out the presence of dysplasia inside your foodpipe. If no dysplasia is present, you can repeat your endoscopy once every five years. However, you have to follow preventive measures, such as;

1. A Barrett's esophagus diet is very effective in controlling your acidity. You must include food items with antioxidants and fiber in your diet. Also, eating a small amount of food in frequent intervals and having lean protein in the diet are very effective. Most importantly, avoiding spicy food, smoking, and alcohol is effective.

2. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are very effective medicines for your gastric reflux disorder (GERD).

If the doctor notices harmful or dysplastic changes, you have to be cautious. In such cases, endoscopic evaluation after every six months is necessary. Also, doctors prefer a removal procedure for Barrett's esophagus. These Barrett's esophagus procedures are performed through endoscopy. Doctors use different methods like current, plasma therapy, and cryotherapy to remove harmful portions.

What Are the Techniques for Barrett's Esophagus Prevention?

As mentioned, lifestyle changes are most important in preventing Barrett's esophagus. If you are already suffering from hyperacidity, the following things might be helpful,

1. Weight control is the key factor in controlling your acidity.

2. You should avoid smoking, alcohol, acidic foods, and any kind of spicy food.

3. While sleeping, you can keep your head high to prevent the flow of acid into your foodpipe. Also, do not take food immediately after exercise. You should stay awake at least for two hours after taking heavy meals.

4. There is no medicine for Barrett's esophagus. However, you can talk to your doctor about proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) for your regular acidity.

If you feel helpless or lonely, you can join support groups for Barrett's esophagus to learn more. It will also help you mentally fight it.

When to See a Doctor?

Barrett's esophagus itself does not cause any issues. However, if you are suffering from discomfort after having meals, pain after eating, or severe heartburn regularly, you should visit a doctor. You should keep in mind that, if you neglect it at the early stage, it can turn into a life-threatening condition.

Conclusion

Chronic acidity or gastric reflux disorder causes gastric acid to move into the foodpipe. Such damage can lead to harmful changes in the cells of the esophagus, which is known as Barrett's esophagus. If it is not treated on time, it can turn into cancer. That is why regular check-ups, endoscopic evaluation, and lifestyle changes can save your life.

Key Takeaway From iCliniq

Excessive acidity harms our food pipe and causes Barrett's esophagus. If you are facing issues like heartburn, discomfort after eating a small amount of food, a sensation of a lump in the throat, or sourness in the mouth, you should not ignore them.

Remember that you can simply prevent a condition like Barrett's esophagus by regular check-ups or lifestyle changes.

However, if you neglect it, it can cause serious problems like cancer. In case of any query related to this, remember that doctors at iCliniq are always there to help you.