Barrett's Esophagus Screening

Looking for a medical problem in people who do not know whether they have one is called screening. Currently, there are no commonly accepted guidelines on who should have endoscopy to check for Barrett's esophagus. Among the many reasons for the lack of firm recommendations about Barrett's esophagus screening are the great expense and slight risk of endoscopy complications. Also, the rate of finding Barrett's esophagus is low, and finding the problem early has not been proven to prevent deaths from cancer.

 

Many physicians recommend that adult patients who are over the age of 40 and have had GERD symptoms for a number of years should have endoscopy to see whether they have Barrett's esophagus. Screening for this condition in people who have no symptoms is not recommended.