Barrett's Esophagus Resource Center Features

• Helicobacter pylori: Friend or Foe? David A. Johnson, MD, provides clinical commentary on 3 recent articles from the literature assessing the impact of H pylori infection.
  Medscape Gastroenterology, July 2008
• Helicobacter pylori -- Shoot to Kill or Save the Bug? In his next video blog for Medscape Gastroenterology, Dr. Johnson comments on the complex but potentially protective influences of H pylori infection.
  Medscape Gastroenterology, July 2008
• What's New in Columnar Lined Esophagus (Barrett's Metaplasia)? Columnar lined esophagus is a precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma, so early detection is key. Get current on risk factors, diagnostic imaging, and therapy with this review.
  Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, July 2008
• Increased Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Barrett Esophagus Patients Patients with Barrett esophagus have a significantly increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome, according to a report in the June Annals of Surgery.
  Reuters Health Information, June 2008
• The Use of Acid-Decreasing Medication in Veteran Patients With Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disorder With and Without Barrett's Oesophagus Barrett's esophagus (BE) patients who use proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are 50% less likely to develop dysplasia than those not on PPIs. What are the extent and determinants of PPI use in BE patients?
  Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, June 2008
• H. Pylori Infection Curbs Barrett's Esophagus Risk A community-based study indicates that people with Helicobacter pylori infection appear to be about half as likely to develop Barrett's esophagus as those who are not colonized, California-based researchers report in the June issue of Gut.
  Reuters Health Information, June 2008
• Examining the Issues in Barrett's Esophagus: An Expert Interview With Prateek Sharma, MD Prateek Sharma, MD, comments on the latest data about this clinically important lesion, with a view toward implications for screening and surveillance, as framed by data from DDW 2008.
  Medscape Gastroenterology, May 2008
• Dietary Patterns Linked to Risk of Barrett's Esophagus Results of a study published in the April 1st issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology suggest that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of Barrett's esophagus, whereas a diet high in fast food and meat is linked to an increased risk.
  Reuters Health Information, April 2008
• Capsule Endoscopy Not Accurate Enough for Barrett's Esophagus Screening Wireless esophageal capsule endoscopy (ECE) is only moderately sensitive in detecting Barrett's esophagus (BE) and, therefore, cannot at this point be recommended for screening, according to the results of three studies appearing in the March issue of Gastroenterology.
  Reuters Health Information, April 2008
• Barrett's Esophagus: American College of Gastroenterology Guidelines 2008 In his first video commentary for Medscape Gastroenterology, David Johnson, MD, provides an overview of the 2008 BE guidelines: What's carried forward from the 2002 guidelines and what's new in 2008?
  Medscape Gastroenterology, April 2008
• Systematic Four-Quadrant Biopsy Detects Barrett's Dysplasia in More Patients Than Nonsystematic Biopsy This study investigates the influence of 2 different biopsy techniques on the detection of dysplasia and cancer in Barrett's esophagus patients.
  The American Journal of Gastroenterology, April 2008
• Endoscopic Diagnosis of Early Squamous Neoplasia of the Esophagus With Iodine Staining: High-Grade Intra-Epithelial Neoplasia Turns Pink Within a Few Minutes The ability to detect early squamous neoplasia of the esophagus can be enhanced considerably by iodine staining during endoscopic examination.
  Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, April 2008
• Postprandial Proximal Gastric Acid Pocket Enlarged in Patients With Severe Reflux An unbuffered acidic region in the gastric cardia present during the postprandial period is larger in patients with severe reflux disease than in healthy subjects, often extending to the border of the gastroesophageal junction, a UK research team reports.
  Reuters Health Information, March 2008
• Endoscopic Imaging Detects Early Neoplasia in Barrett's Esophagus Esophageal trimodal imaging enhances the detection of early neoplasia in patients with Barrett's esophagus, according to a report in the February issue of Gut.
  Reuters Health Information, March 2008
• Screening and Surveillance for Barrett's Esophagus in Patients With GERD What are the current recommendations regarding screening and surveillance for Barrett's esophagus in patients with chronic reflux symptoms? Prateek Sharma, MD, explores the issue.
  Medscape Gastroenterology, March 2008
• The Diagnostic Accuracy of Esophageal Capsule Endoscopy in Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Barrett's Esophagus: A Blinded, Prospective Study The authors assess the diagnostic accuracy of esophageal capsule endoscopy for Barrett's esophagus, erosive esophagitis, and hiatal hernia, as well as assess its safety profile.
  The American Journal of Gastroenterology, March 2008
• Effect of Proton Pump Inhibitors on Markers of Risk for High-Grade Dysplasia and Oesophageal Cancer in Barrett's Oesophagus The authors sought to determine whether PPI therapy prior to diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus influences markers for risk development of subsequent high-grade dysplasia/adenocarcinoma.
  Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, February 2008
• Mortality Rates in Patients With Barrett's Oesophagus The authors assessed the cause of death in patients with Barrett's esophagus compared with the general population.
  Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, February 2008
• A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Risk of Increasing Adiposity on Barrett's Esophagus This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated whether increasing BMI is associated with Barrett's esophagus as compared with the general population and GERD controls.
  The American Journal of Gastroenterology, February 2008
• Columnar Lined (Barrett's) Esophagus: Future Perspectives It is important to standardize the criteria for columnar lined esophagus or Barrett's esophagus.
  Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, February 2008