The Relationship Between Length of Barrett's Oesophagus Mucosa and Body Mass Index

Background: Length of Barrett's oesophagus (BE) is a risk factor for oesophageal cancer. The underlying mechanisms that determine BE length are nor fully known.

Aim: To determine if there is a correlation between obesity and length of BE.

Methods: Using a population-based study, 381 patients diagnosed with Barrett's oesophagus between 1999 and 2013 were included. Body mass index (BMI) at the time of BE diagnosis was calculated. Upper endoscopy reports were reviewed to obtain the length of BE. Spearman's correlation coefficient was performed to assess the strength of the relationship between Barrett's length and BMI. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to further examine the association between BMI and length of BE.

Results: The adjusted odds ratio for each five-point increase in BMI was 1.5 (95% CI 1.24-1.81, P < 0.001). The mean BMI was significantly higher in patients with long segment BE as compared to patients with short segment BE (32.7 vs. 30.3, P = 0.001). There was also a positive trend in long segment BE as patients entered into higher BMI categories (Z = 4.25, P < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between BMI and length of BE (r = 0.25, P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: The study demonstrated a correlation between BMI and the length of Barrett's oesophagus mucosa. Thus, increased BMI is associated with longer segment of Barrett's oesophagus.