Barrett's disease, more often called Barrett's esophagus, affects 1 percent of American adults, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. In this condition, for reasons that are not clear, the cells lining the esophagus change so that they resemble the cells lining the digestive tract.
Symptoms
The NIDDK, or the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, says that there are no symptoms specific to Barrett's esophagus. Diagnosis hinges on the microscopic examination of esophageal cells. The Mayo Clinic says the some patients have symptoms of acid reflux, including difficulty swallowing food, frequent heartburn, vomiting blood and stool that is black and looks like tar. However, many patients do not even have these symptoms.
Onset
According to the NIDDK, most people with Barrett's esophagus are diagnosed in their 50s, but it is difficult to know when the disease began. Barrett's esophagus rarely strikes children. Although most people with Barrett's esophagus have a long history of gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, says the Mayo Clinic, only a low percentage of people with GERD go on to develop Barrett's esophagus.
Cause
With GERD, material from the stomach, including corrosive stomach acid, washes up and coats the esophagus. The presence of acid in the esophagus makes it sore, so that swallowing food is uncomfortable, and causes heartburn. The acid also erodes the lining of the esophagus, causing bleeding that can show up in vomit. Doctors believe that as the esophagus tries to protect itself, it produces a different type of cells, more similar to the cells that line the digestive tract. For patients with Barrett's esophagus who have no symptoms, it is not clear what causes the esophageal cells to begin to change.
Progression
After a patient has Barrett's esophagus for several years, his risk of developing esophageal cancer increases. However, the NIDDK reassures patients that only 1 percent of all people with Barrett's esophagus go on to develop esophageal cancer. Tests of esophageal cells can detect precancerous changes that indicate a higher risk of eventually developing cancer, and treatment of patients with precancerous or dysplastic cells can often prevent cancer.
Treatment
Drugs that control acid reflux can control the symptoms of GERD and can decrease the likelihood of developing Barrett's esophagus, says the NIDDK. Some patients might need surgery to narrow the connection between the stomach and esophagus and limit reflux. For patients who have Barrett's esophagus with dysplastic cells, doctors can recommend watching and waiting, killing the dysplastic cells in place, or surgery to remove the esophagus, depending on the severity of the changes.
