Peer Reviewed
Gastroenterology clinic
Assessing and managing a patient with Barrett’s oesophagus
Abstract
Barrett's oesophagus is a major risk factor for oesophageal adenocarcinoma. It is recommended that patients with the condition take a regular proton pump inhibitor to control reflux symptoms and be offered endoscopic surveillance.
Key Points
- Barrett’s oesophagus is a condition in which the squamous mucosa of the distal oesophagus is replaced by columnar epithelium containing specialised intestinal metaplasia (Figure).
- The importance of Barrett’s oesophagus is that nearly all oesophageal adenocarcinoma arises from Barrett’s oesophagus. The incidences of both oesophageal adenocarcinomas and Barrett’s oesophagus have increased greatly in developed countries over the past three decades.
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