Barrett's Esophagitis in Patients with Reflux Symptoms Versus Those Without

Jalal Khaleel Rashid1*, Halgurd Fathu Allah2 and Jaafar Tahir Hassan3

1*MBChB Trainee at Kurdistan Higher Council for Medical Specialities of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rizgary Teaching Hospital. Corresponding author
2MBChB, FICMS, ERCP Glasgow. Program director of Internal Medicine at Kurdistan Higher Council for Medical Specialities, Rizgary Teaching Hospital, Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq
3MBChB, FKHCMS, (Int. Med.), FKHCMS (GE & H)

Received: 16th Dec, 2025; Revised: 8th Feb 2026; Accepted: 12th Feb, 2026; Available Online: 28th Feb, 2026

ABSTRACT

Background: In Barrett's oesophagus (BE), the normal squamous epithelium lining the oesophageal mucosa is replaced by columnar intestinal epithelium, which is considered a precursor to oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of BE among patients with and without reflux undergoing endoscopy at the gastroenterology centre at Rizgry Teaching Hospital.

Subject and methods: A prospective study was carried out at the gastroenterology centre of Rizgary Hospital. A convenient sample of all patients attending the endoscopy unit was included during the study period. Endoscopy and biopsy results were documented after review by two experts in the field. Risk factors for developing reflux, such as obesity, smoking, family history, and alcohol consumption, were evaluated.

Statistical analysis: After cleaning the data, it was transferred from the Excel sheet to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. The Chi-square test was used to analyse categorical variables.

Results: Out of 300 patients, 112 (37%) were males, and 188 (62.7%) were females. Those who were Kurds constituted 83%, and the non-Kurds were only 16.7%. The majority were from urban areas 97.3%, and only 2.7% were from rural areas. The indications for endoscopy were epigastric pain in 86%, weight loss in 53%, flatulence in 53%, nausea in 52%, stress in 44.7%, disturbed sleep in 42%, belching in 39%, and regurgitation in 34%. In individuals aged 60 years or older, the prevalence was 11.76% among males, and no cases were reported among females in the same age group. The multiple regression analysis predicted age over 50 years, which increases the risk of BE by one-fold (odds ratio 1.42). The male gender increased the risk by twofold (odds ratio 2.21, CI 1.55–6.20).

Conclusions: The prevalence of BE in the Kurdistan region of Iraq was low among both reflux and non-reflux patients. Meanwhile, reflux symptoms are not sensitive enough to detect all cases; male gender, age over 50, and symptom duration were among the factors that predicted the presence of BE.

Keywords: Barrett's oesophagitis, endoscopy, Acid reflux, histopathology, risk factors.

How to cite this article: Rashid JK, Allah HF and Hassan JT, Barrett's Esophagitis in Patients with Reflux Symptoms Versus Those Without. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(5s): 33-39. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.5s.4