Barrett's esophagus patients are becoming younger: analysis of a large United States dataset

Background Barrett's esophagus (BE), a complication of long-term gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), has been reported to affect 6-8% of those with heartburn. Most patients are males, Caucasians and middle aged. However, there are no recent demographic studies that evaluated the proportion trends of BE. We aimed to assess proportion trends of BE over an 11-year period, using a very large national dataset. Methods This was a population-based analysis of the national Explorys dataset. Explorys is an aggregate of electronic medical record database representing over 54 million patients. Proportions of BE's variables such as age, gender, race, BMI, and treatment with PPI were recorded during an 11-year period. BE patients were classified into seven age groups (15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, >= 70 years old). Secular trends of the proportion of BE were assessed over time for each age group. Results The majority of patients diagnosed with BE were >= 70 years old across all calendar years. However, the proportion of BE patients who were >= 70 years old has significantly decreased between 2006 and 2016 (- 19.9%, p < 0.001). The proportion of patients with BE increased in all age groups but most prominently in the age groups, 30-39: 2.07%, 40-49: 3.64%, 50-59: 6.89%, 60-69: 6.18%, p < 0.001. BE was significantly more common in those who were Caucasian and male. PPI usage fell significantly in those who were >= 70 years old (- 20.8%, p < 0.001), but increased in the other remaining age groups. Conclusions The proportion of BE patients who are 70 years and older has significantly dropped. Younger patients' groups have demonstrated the highest increase in the proportion of BE patients, especially those in the age group of 30-39 years old.