Oesophageal acid-peptic strictures in the histamine H2 receptor antagonist and proton pump inhibitor era

Prevalence and Costs of Esophageal Strictures in the United States

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Esophageal strictures are a leading cause of dysphagia, but data regarding the epidemiology of esophageal strictures are limited. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, health care utilization, and financial burden of esophageal strictures in the United States.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study using 2 large national insurance claims databases (MarketScan and Medicare). Using International Classification of Diseases-9 and -10 diagnostic codes, annual prevalence was calculated for both cohorts overall, and stratified by age and sex strata. Most common diagnostic and procedural codes associated with esophageal strictures were extracted and analyzed to estimate health care utilization. Direct annual medical costs of esophageal strictures were calculated.

RESULTS

The annual prevalence of esophageal strictures in MarketScan in 2021 was 203.14 cases/100,000 people, whereas the annual prevalence in Medicare cohort in 2017 was 1123.47 cases/100,000. Although rates were relatively stable over time, esophageal stricture prevalence increased with advancing age. No prevalence differences were noticed between males and females. Gastroesophageal reflux disease/erosive esophagitis was the top diagnostic code associated with esophageal strictures, although an increase in the proportion of eosinophilic esophagitis codes was noted over time. Esophageal dilation codes were present in ∼50% of stricture cases. The total health care costs associated with esophageal strictures were estimated at $1.39 billion in 2017.

CONCLUSIONS

Esophageal strictures are common, affecting between 1/100 and 1/1000 patients in the United States, with the highest rates seen in patients aged 75 years and older. Accordingly, strictures have a significant financial burden on the health care system, with costs greater than $1 billion annually.

The endoscopic management of oesophageal strictures

An oesophageal stricture refers to a narrowing of the oesophageal lumen, which may be benign or malignant. The cardinal feature is dysphagia, and this may result from intrinsic oesophageal disease or extrinsic compression. Oesophageal strictures can be further classified as simple or complex depending on stricture length, location, diameter, and underlying aetiology. Many endoscopic options are now available for treating oesophageal strictures including dilatation, injectional therapy, stenting, stricturotomy, and ablation. Self-expanding metal stents have revolutionised the palliation of malignant dysphagia, but oesophageal dilatation with balloon or bougienage remains first-line therapy for most benign strictures. The increase in endoscopic and surgical interventions on the oesophagus has seen more benign refractory oesophageal strictures that are difficult to treat, and often require advanced endoscopic techniques. In this review, we provide a practical overview on the evidence-based management of both benign and malignant oesophageal strictures, including a practical algorithm for managing benign refractory strictures.

UK guidelines on oesophageal dilatation in clinical practice

These are updated guidelines which supersede the original version published in 2004. This work has been endorsed by the Clinical Services and Standards Committee of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) under the auspices of the oesophageal section of the BSG. The original guidelines have undergone extensive revision by the 16 members of the Guideline Development Group with representation from individuals across all relevant disciplines, including the Heartburn Cancer UK charity, a nursing representative and a patient representative. The methodological rigour and transparency of the guideline development processes were appraised using the revised Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) tool.Dilatation of the oesophagus is a relatively high-risk intervention, and is required by an increasing range of disease states. Moreover, there is scarcity of evidence in the literature to guide clinicians on how to safely perform this procedure. These guidelines deal specifically with the dilatation procedure using balloon or bougie devices as a primary treatment strategy for non-malignant narrowing of the oesophagus. The use of stents is outside the remit of this paper; however, for cases of dilatation failure, alternative techniques-including stents-will be listed. The guideline is divided into the following subheadings: (1) patient preparation; (2) the dilatation procedure; (3) aftercare and (4) disease-specific considerations. A systematic literature search was performed. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Develop-ment and Evaluation (GRADE) tool was used to evaluate the quality of evidence and decide on the strength of recommendations made.

[Prevalence of erosive esophagitis and peptic esophageal strictures]

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a widespread among population in economically developed countries including Russia. It was analyzed the results of 34 903 endoscopic examinations of upper gastrointestinal tract in ethnically and socially homogeneous population of Leningrad region with symptoms of gastric dispepsia. Procedures were performed for the period 2007-2013. Prevalence of erosive esophagitis was 4.9%. Peptic esophageal strictures due to chronic reflux-associated inflammation were revealed in 0.2% of examined patients (3.7% of patients with erosive esophagitis). Obtained data allow to considergastroesophageal reflux disease as a socially significant problem in Russia requiring close attention and further study.

Esophageal dysphagia

Esophageal dysphagia can arise from a variety of causes such as motility disorders, mechanical and inflammatory diseases. Adequate management includes a detailed history, evaluation with upper endoscopy, barium radiography and manometry. Treatment is usually tailored to the underlying disease process and in some cases, as in inoperable cancer, palliative management may be necessary.

Temporal trends in new and recurrent oesophageal strictures in a Medicare population

BACKGROUND

The widespread use of proton pump inhibitors for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease could result in a decline in new as well as recurrent gastro-oesophageal reflux disease-related oesophageal strictures. The temporal trends of strictures have not been examined in population-based studies.

METHODS

To examine the temporal trends in strictures, we calculated the age-adjusted incidence rates of new oesophageal strictures with or without oesophageal dilation in a sample of Medicare beneficiaries between 1992 and 2000. We also examined recurrent dilations recorded at least 3 months after a new stricture or the preceding recurrent stricture.

RESULTS

The age-adjusted rates for strictures accompanied with dilation declined by approximately 11% from 215 per million to 192 per million. New oesophageal strictures with dilation declined as a proportion of all upper endoscopies procedures (from 2.6% to 1.9%). Recurrent dilation within 1 year declined dramatically from 16% (9.5% CI: 12.5-20.3) in 1992 to 8% (95% CI: 4.43-10.62) in 2000. In multivariable proportional hazards model, there was a 30% risk reduction of recurrent oesophageal strictures.

CONCLUSIONS

This population-based study indicates that the incidence of new as well as recurrent oesophageal strictures has been declining. In the face of rising incidence of other gastro-oesophageal reflux disease-related complications, it is important to understand the explanation of the present observations.

Time trends of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a systematic review

There is a perception that the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is increasing, but few studies have directly tackled this issue. By using a systematic approach, this review aimed to assess objectively whether the prevalence of GERD is changing with time. First, population-based studies that reported the prevalence of at least weekly heartburn and/or acid regurgitation were subjected to a time-trend analysis with a Poisson regression model. Second, population-based studies reporting the prevalence of GERD symptoms at 2 time points in the same source population were reviewed. Third, longitudinal studies that charted the prevalence of GERD symptoms and esophagitis in primary and secondary care were examined. The Poisson model revealed a significant (P < .0001) trend for an increase in the prevalence of reflux symptoms in the general population over time. Separately, significant increases with time were found for North America (P = .0005) and Europe (P < .0001) but not Asia (P = .49). Studies of the same source population over time indicated an increase in the prevalence of GERD in the U.S., Singapore, and China but not Sweden. An increase in the prevalence of GERD or esophagitis was found in the majority of longitudinal studies. There is evidence that the prevalence of GERD has increased during the past 2 decades. If this trend continues, it could contribute to the rapidly increasing incidence of more serious complications associated with GERD, such as esophageal adenocarcinoma, as well as costs to healthcare systems and employers.

Esophageal stricture: incidence, treatment patterns, and recurrence rate

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to determine the incidence, natural history, and recurrence rate of esophageal stricture diagnosed in primary care.

METHODS

From the U.K. General Practice Research Database, we identified patients with a stricture diagnosis recorded between 1994 and 2000. Diagnoses were confirmed by general practitioner-completed questionnaires. Patients with stricture were compared to an age- and sex-matched sample of controls from the original source population. We estimated the incidence of stricture, potential risk factors, and comorbidities, and relative risk (RR) for subsequent stricture recurrence and mortality.

RESULTS

The incidence of esophageal stricture was 1.1 per 10,000 person-years and increased markedly with age. Incidence of stricture decreased from 1994 to 2000, concomitant with a substantial increase in proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use. The majority of stricture cases (68%) were peptic. Prior dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatus hernia, peptic ulcer disease, and heavy alcohol use were associated with an increased risk of stricture. The rate of stricture recurrence was 11.1 per 100 person-years. Risk of recurrence associated with long-term PPI use adjusting for other factors was 0.6 (95% CI 0.3-1.1). Mortality in patients with peptic stricture was similar to that in the control population.

CONCLUSIONS

Esophageal stricture is a rare event, and most cases in primary care are peptic strictures. Prior GERD, hiatus hernia, and peptic ulcer are associated with an increased risk of peptic stricture. Incidence of stricture decreased from 1994 to 2000.

Temporal trends in new and recurrent esophageal strictures in Department of Veterans Affairs

BACKGROUND

Anecdotal experience suggests that gastroenterologists are encountering fewer patients with esophageal strictures; however, the temporal trends of esophageal strictures have not been well examined in large studies.

METHODS

We examined the incidence rates of new esophageal strictures as well as esophageal dilations among patients presenting to VA facilities between 1998 and 2003 as a proportion of the annual frequency of all endoscopic procedures and/or imaging procedures. Recurrent strictures were defined as those recorded at least 3 months after the index date of a new stricture or the date of the preceding recurrent stricture. Stricture was defined only in the presence of an upper endoscopy or upper gastrointestinal (UGI) contrast imaging within 30 days before or after the date of diagnosis. This algorithm was validated by manually reviewing the medical records of 180 patients; the positive predictive value was approximately 84%. The risk of recurrent strictures was examined using Cox proportional hazards model for multiple failures.

RESULTS

There were 19,157 patients identified between fiscal year (FY) 1998 and FY 2003 with new esophageal strictures. New strictures comprised a constant annual proportion of total EGD and UGI imaging studies. New strictures declined by 11.6% as a proportion of all upper endoscopies (not including UGI imaging). However, esophageal dilations associated with new stricture diagnoses declined among patients with new esophageal strictures, 16.8% had at least one episode of recurrence. The 1-yr incidence rate of recurrent strictures declined significantly (-36.0%) from 13.9 per 100 person-years for patients diagnosed with new strictures in 1998 to 8.9 per 100 person-years in patients diagnosed with new strictures in 2003. In the full multivariable model, new strictures diagnoses during 2001-2003 were associated with a reduced risk of having recurrent strictures (19% in the first year and 13% throughout follow-up) independent of age, gender, race, geographic region, or the presence of Barrett's esophagus.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of recurrent strictures has declined between 1998 and 2003 by approximately one-third. Although there has been only a small decline in the incidence of new esophageal strictures among patients undergoing endoscopy, the use of esophageal dilations has declined considerably among these patients. The role of proton pump inhibitors needs to be examined.