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Estimates of the prevalence of Barrett esophagus (BE) vary considerably — from 0.4% in autopsy studies to 5%–12% in prospective screening trials of patients with reflux symptoms. What is the prevalence of BE in the general population, and what are the associated risk factors? Investigators conducted a population-based study with a random sample of 3000 adults from two municipalities in Sweden. Subjects completed a validated gastrointestinal symptom questionnaire (74% response rate), and a random subset of 1000 underwent upper endoscopy.
BE was defined endoscopically by specialized columnar metaplasia in 16 study participants (1.6%). Long-segment BE was evident in 5 subjects, and short-segment BE was noted in 11. Fifty-six percent of subjects…