Barrett's esophagus history and symptoms
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Hamid Qazi, MD, BSc [2], Amresh Kumar MD [3]
Overview
Common symptoms of Barrett’s esophagus include heart burn, regurgitation, and dysphagia. A positive history of nausea, vomiting, and regurgitation is suggestive of Barrett’s esophagus. Other symptoms of Barrett’s esophagus include chest pain, cough, and odynophagia.
History
The usual history of Barrett’s esophagus is suggestive for GERD clinical manifestations:[1][2][3]
- Heartburn (pyrosis): Burning sensations in the retrosternal area, most commpnly after eating
- Regurgitation: flow of refluxed gastric content into mouth sometimes mixed with undigested food
- Dysphagia: Potentially suggestive of a stricture
- Chest pain: Mimicking angina pectoris, postprandial, squeezing and burning, substernal, lasting minutes to hours, awakens from sleep, exacerabated by stress, resolves spontaneously or with antiacids
- Globus sensation: sensation of a lump in the throat
- Odynophagia: If present, indicates the presence of an ulcer
- Less commonly: Bronchospasms, laryngitis, chronic cough, hypersalivation, nausea
Patients may also remian asymptomatic.
Symptoms
Barrett’s esophagus itself does not cause symptoms. The acid reflux that causes Barrett’s esophagus results in symptoms of heartburn.
The change from normal to premalignant cells that indicates Barrett’s esophagus does not cause any particular symptoms. However, warning signs that should not be ignored include:
- Frequent and longstanding heartburn
- Trouble swallowing (dysphagia)
- Vomiting blood
- Pain under the breastbone where the esophagus meets the stomach
- Unintentional weight loss because eating is painful
Common symptoms
Common symptoms of Barrett’s esophagus include the following:[4]
Less common symptoms
Less common symptoms of Barrett’s esophagus include the following:[5]
- Chest pain that may look like the angina pectoris pain
- Cough
- Nausea
- Odynophagia
- Hypersalivation
References
- ↑ Vakil N, van Zanten SV, Kahrilas P, Dent J, Jones R (2006). “The Montreal definition and classification of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a global evidence-based consensus”. Am. J. Gastroenterol. 101 (8): 1900–20, quiz 1943. doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2006.00630.x. PMID 16928254. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Vakil NB, Traxler B, Levine D (2004). “Dysphagia in patients with erosive esophagitis: prevalence, severity, and response to proton pump inhibitor treatment”. Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2 (8): 665–8. PMID 15290658. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Richter JE (1996). “Typical and atypical presentations of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The role of esophageal testing in diagnosis and management”. Gastroenterol. Clin. North Am. 25 (1): 75–102. PMID 8682579. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Chang P, Friedenberg F (2014). “Obesity and GERD”. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 43 (1): 161–73. doi:10.1016/j.gtc.2013.11.009. PMC 3920303. PMID 24503366.
- ↑ Hom C, Vaezi MF (2013). “Extraesophageal manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease”. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 42 (1): 71–91. doi:10.1016/j.gtc.2012.11.004. PMID 23452632.
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