Prevalence of Barrett's Esophagus in Hispanics Is Similar to Caucasians

Abstract

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is considered to be adisease of white males with a prevalence ranging from0.5 to 4.0% in patients undergoing upper endoscopy (EGD)for any indication, and from 12 to 15% in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).The prevalence of BE in Hispanics is not known, but itis assumed to be lower. The aims of this study were todetermine the prevalence of BE in Hispanic patients and to compare demographic and endoscopiccharacteristics with Caucasian patients with BE. Recordsof patients undergoing an EGD between October 1993 andOctober 1996 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were included in the study only if they hadcolumnar-appearing esophageal mucosa at endoscopy andintestinal metaplasia with Alcian blue-staining gobletcells on biopsy. An extensive chart review was performed in patients with BE. There were 75 new cases ofBE discovered: 60 (80%) were Caucasians, 6 (8%)Hispanics, 1 (1.4%) Native American, and 8 (10.6%)patients with either unknown or unconfirmed ethnicity. Of the 75 patients, 74 male, and the mean agewas 65 ± 11.4 years (range 36-92 years). Theprevalence of BE in Caucasians and Hispanics undergoingEGD for any reason was similar (5.3% and 3.8%,respectively, P = 0.563). The prevalence of BE in patientspresenting with GERD symptoms was also similar betweenCaucasians and Hispanics (25% and 16%, respectively, P= 0.304). The two groups did not differ significantly with respect to age, symptoms, habits, orendoscopic findings. In conclusion, the prevalence of BEamong Hispanic patients is similar to Caucasianpatients, an unexpected finding.