Barrett's Esophagus
As kids the five Sitarski brothers were your typical pack of boys...they played baseball, cowboys and indians, they were best friends…but, today the brothers are battling a potentially fatal condition known as Barrett’s Esophagus. “In 2004 my brother had some problems with his throat, he was totally healthy, never had any problems, physical every year, when to the doctor, was diagnosed stage four cancer, he died nine months later and it was caused from Barrett’s,” says John Sitarski.
Since his brother’s death, John and his younger brother have also been diagnosed with Barrett’s Esophagus, a pre-cancerous condition caused by chronic GERD, or reflux disease. “Due to chronic acid exposure from reflux, the cells that normally line the esophagus gradually transform into a type of lining which is more protective against acid irritation, so the lining instead of being a normal esophageal lining, it is like a stomach lining, the body is trying to protect itself against acid,” says Dr. Greg Haber of Lenox Hill Hospital.
Since the cells lining the stomach are protected from contact with acid, their growth into the esophagus actually functions as a defense mechanism. It protects the normal tissue in the esophagus against further damage by GERD, but these tissue changes may be a forerunner of cancer. (Read more about Barrett's Esophagus)
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