Abstract
In contrast to Western countries, erosiveesophagitis has been considered less common, Barrett'sesophagus presumed less frequent, and hiatal herniaextremely uncommon in the Orient. However, accelerated modernization and adoption of Western customshave resulted in marked life-style changes in manyAsians in the Orient that may potentially affect thefrequency of erosive esophagitis and Barrett's esophagus in this population. Our aim was to determinethe current frequency of erosive esophagitis, Barrett'sesophagus, and other gastroesophageal reflux diseasecomplications in self-referred Chinese patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy inTaipei, Taiwan. Between July 1991 and June 1992, 464consecutive patients underwent endoscopy for a varietyof upper gastrointestinal symptoms at a major medical center. The presence of erosive esophagitis,strictures, Barrett's esophagus, and hiatal hernia wasrecorded. The extent of mucosal injury was determined byusing the Savary-Miller grading system. Sixty-six (14.5%) patients were found to have erosiveesophagitis, 9 (2%), Barrett's esophagus, and 32 (7%)hiatal hernias. Erosive esophagitis showed amale-to-female preponderance of 3.1:1. Disease severityincreased with age and peaked during the sixth andseventh decades. We concluded that in contrast toprevious experience, the Chinese population in Taiwanappears to have a higher frequency of erosiveesophagitis, Barrett's esophagus, and hiatal hernia.Increased fat consumption, aging, and other possiblefactors are suggested as possible mechanisms.
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Yeh, C., Hsu, CT., Ho, AS. et al. Erosive Esophagitis and Barrett's Esophagus in Taiwan (A Higher Frequency than Expected). Dig Dis Sci 42, 702–706 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018835324210
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018835324210