Perfil epidemiológico de pacientes com esôfago de Barrett em um serviço de patologia de Passo Fundo-RS

Abstract

Context - Barrett's esophagus is characterized by gastroesophageal reflux disease that leads to the transformation of the normal esophageal squamous epithelium into specialized columnar epithelium with goblet cells, a condition that has the potential for malignancy. However, the associated sociodemographic profile is not completely elucidated, especially in the southern region of the country, which makes early diagnosis difficult. Objective - To evaluate the sociodemographic profile of patients with Barrett's Esophagus, diagnosed by biopsy in the pathology laboratory of São Vicente de Paulo Hospital, in Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil. Methods - The study included all patients who had a positive anatomopathological diagnosis for Barrett's Esophagus between 2010 and 2015. The evaluated sociodemographic data included sex, age group, skin color, education, religion, marital status and concomitant diagnoses to the outcome of interest. The patient data were evaluated through descriptive statistical analysis of the data, by means of the distribution of absolute and relative frequencies, measures of central tendency and dispersion. Results - 135 cases of Barrett's Esophagus were identified, in which 65.2% were male, 45.2% of those evaluated were married and 25.2% were single. The predominant skin color was white with 87.4% of the cases. The age group that was most representative was over 60 years old, with an average of 58.6 years old (± 15). The highest prevalence referring to schooling was in individuals with incomplete Elementary Education and Higher Education, 23% and 21.5%, respectively. The Catholic religion represented 71.1% of the patients. In addition to positive Barrett's Esophagus, the most common conditions were chronic non-specific gastritis, Helicobacter pylori present and chronic gastritis associated with Helicobacter pylori, with 34.1%, 14.1% and 14.1%, respectively. Conclusion - The sociodemographic profile found in the current study in the Passo Fundo region is largely in line with data from the literature. However, further studies are needed to assess the real epidemiological profile of the condition.