A comparison of risk factors and clinical presentations of the young and elderly individuals with Barrett's esophagus

Background and Aim: The risk factors of Barrett's esophagus (BE) include advancing age, male gender, obesity, and long-term reflux symptom. The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in risk factors and presentation of symptoms between young and elderly Chinese patients with BE.

Methods: Data from VGHTC were prospectively collected from October 2012 to December 2014. The data of young (<60 years old) and elderly (?60 years old) cases were collected and compared.

Results: The 67 enrolled subjects comprised 36 (53.7%) young patients and 31 (46.3%) elderly patients. Most BE subjects were male (63.6~77.4%) and had short-segment BE (94.4~93.5%). The waist circumference, BMI, and prevalence of obesity were similar between the two groups. A non-significantly higher rate of hiatal hernia was noted in the elderly cases (58.1% vs. 38.9%, P=0.117). Two young cases (5.6%) and two elderly cases (6.5%) had dysplasia. One elderly subject (3.2%) had adenocarcinoma. Most patients had typical reflux symptoms (58.1%~61.1%), and cigarette smoking was more prevalent in elderly patients. SF-12 scores in the two groups were similar.

Conclusion: Young BE patients had similar presentations to those of elderly BE patients. Further study is needed.

Keywords: Age; Barrett's esophagus; Young patients