Was planning to see classmates at upcoming 20th reunion. now i am hearing my best friend has barrett's esophagus. what is that?

Gastric reflux: Barrett's esophagus is the result to damage to the lining of esophagus from backup of gastric acid and enzymes. It causes changes in mucosa, ulceration, bleeding, scarring and over time may lead to cancer.

= Endstage GERD: Barrett's esophagus is not something to play around with! barrett's epithelium occurs as a terminal event in those with chronic gerd. Barrett's patients risks cancer of the esophagus. Poorly treated barrett's can progress by replacing more & more of the esophagus lining, & can become dysplastic. Barrett's warrants surveillance endoscopy, aggressive acid suppression, & maybe ablation &/or surgery.

Common: If you had 200 classmates, probably 3-5 have barrett's, whether or not they know it. The increased cancer risk is real, but not tremendously high and the large majority never have any problems beyond occasionally needing to be endoscoped. Depending on the pathologist's report on initial biopsy, some people may only need to return if reflux symptoms get more troublesome.