Introduction:

Barrett’s esophagus occurs when the stratified squamous epithelium of the esophagus changes to a specialized columnar epithelium as a result of chronic gastroesophageal reflux. Its current prevalence in Colombia is unknown and the population suffering from it has not been characterized. The present study aims to determine the main demographic characteristics of the population diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus treated at two medical centers in Bogotá, Colombia.

Materials and methods:

A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the endoscopy and histopathology reports of 3,000 patients who underwent this procedure for any reason. A descriptive statistical analysis of the data was performed.

Results:

The prevalence of Barrett’s esophagus in the sample was 0.73%. The endoscopic-histology correlation was low (28.5%). Of the diagnosed cases, the most frequent age range was 60-80 years, with an average age of 65.5 years. This condition is predominant in the female sex (63.6%), in people with a BMI over 25 kg/m², with a history of smoking, and no history of alcohol consumption. Most patients underwent endoscopy for symptoms associated with gastroesophageal reflux (50%). The length of the observed segment was not reported in most endoscopies.

Conclusions:

In the medical centers included in this study, Barrett’s esophagus is a rare pathology, found predominantly in elderly women with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, overweight, and with a history of smoking.

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