The prevalence of Barrett's esophagus and erosive esophagitis in a tertiary referral center in Turkey.

BACKGROUND/AIMS In recent years, changes in the definition of Barrett's esophagus have resulted in some difficulties in its diagnosis. Very few epidemiological data on Barrett's esophagus and erosive esophagitis in Turkey are available in the literature. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Barrett's esophagus and erosive esophagitis in a tertiary referral center in Turkey. METHODS 18,766 endoscopic examinations done in Ege University between October 1996 and June 2001 were included in this retrospective study. The histologic identification of goblet cells confirming the presence of intestinal metaplasia within the esophagus was considered as Barrett's esophagus. RESULTS 280/18,766 (1.5%) cases were suspected as Barrett's esophagus by endoscopy. 84/18,766 (0.4%) cases were confirmed pathologically. Thirty-six cases were women and 48 men; mean age was 55.6 years. Pathology did not confirm the diagnosis in 46% of the long-segment Barrett's esophagus and in 72% of the short-segment Barrett's esophagus cases (p<0.01). Erosive esophagitis was diagnosed in 12.8% of overall patients by endoscopy and was significantly higher in patients with Barrett's esophagus (27%, p=0.0001). Hiatal hernia was found in 5% of Barrett's esophagus cases and in 11.2% of the endoscopically suspected Barrett's esophagus cases (p>0.05). CONCLUSION The prevalence of Barrett's esophagus and erosive esophagitis are much lower than in developed countries. In the endoscopic examination, overdiagnosis of Barrett's esophagus is still a problem, especially in the presence of short-segment Barrett's esophagus. The presence of hiatal hernia did not affect the diagnosis.