Barrett’s oesophagus is common in women with systemic sclerosis (SS) and is often accompanied by dysplasia, a study shows.

Among 235 women with SS who underwent oesophagogastroduodenoscopy, 30 had histologically proven Barrett’s oesophagus, yielding a prevalence of 13%, say researchers from Mayo Clinic, in Scottsdale, Arizona, US.

Their study was the largest to date on the prevalence of Barrett’s in women with SS, the authors report in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

[SS] makes the oesophagus prone to significant gastro-oesophageal reflux due to impaired oesophageal clearance and reduced lower oesophageal sphincter pressure, the authors explain.