Secular trends in patients diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus

It is not known whether there have been recent changes in demographic or clinical characteristics among patients newly diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus (BE), which could be a result of changes in disease epidemiology or of screening or surveillance effects, and could have clinical implications.

The aim of this study was to determine whether there has been a shift in age at diagnosis of BE over the past decade. Secondary aims were to determine whether there has been a shift in patient body mass index (BMI) or BE segment length.

An endoscopic database at a tertiary medical center was used to identify all esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGDs) performed between 1997 and 2007. The cohort was restricted to patients newly diagnosed with BE. Pathology records were reviewed to confirm biopsy findings of intestinal metaplasia (IM).

BE was diagnosed in 378 subjects between 1997 and 2007. Mean age at diagnosis of BE was 60.7 +/- 14.1 years, with mean BMI of 27.4 +/- 5.2 kg/m(2) and mean BE segment length of 4.7 +/- 3.7 cm. Between 1997 and 2007 there was no significant change in mean age at diagnosis, BMI, BE segment length or in proportion of men versus women newly diagnosed.

Despite an increase in volume of EGDs performed in an open-access endoscopy unit between 1997 and 2007, there was no appreciable shift in age at diagnosis of BE. BMI and BE segment length among newly diagnosed patients also remained stable over this time period.