Epidemiology

The exact prevalence of the condition is unknown (since endoscopy is required to define this condition) (1).

• prevalence may vary depending on the definition of diagnosis and population studies
  • a population based study of 1000 Swedish people only 1.6% had Barrett’s oesophagus
  • in a study of older people undergoing colonoscopy in the United States, 16% had Barrett’s oesophagus regardless of the presence or absence of reflux symptoms

Barrett's oesophagus increases cancer risk 25-130 fold (2) - loss of the tumour-suppressor gene 'p53' may be important in the development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

• annual risk of progression to cancer in Barret’s oesophagus, based on degree of dysplasia is as follows
  • patients with nondysplastic changes – around 0.2–0.5% per year
  • patients with low-grade dysplasia (LGD) – around 0.7% per year
  • patients with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) – around 7% per year
• majority (90%) of patients with Barret’s oesophagus die of causes other than oesophageal adneocarcinoma (2)

Barrett's oesophagus seems to be more common in men than women

• typically affects men between the ages of 50 and 70 years.

Reference:

• (1) Fitzgerald RC et al. British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines on the diagnosis and management of Barrett's oesophagus. Gut. 2014;63(1):7-42
• (2) Shaheen NJ et al. ACG Clinical Guideline: Diagnosis and Management of Barrett's Esophagus. Am J Gastroenterol. 2016;111(1):30-50