title: Gender differences in the age-stratified prevalence of erosive esophagitis and Barrett's epithelium in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In contrast to Western countries where erosive esophagitis (EE) is more prevalent in males, there is a high incidence of EE in elderly females in Japan. We aimed to examine the gender differences in the age-stratified prevalence of EE and Barrett's epithelium.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population comprised 869 cases (463 men and 406 women) who had undergone an upper endoscopy at the Gastroenterology Division of Yokohama City University Hospital between August 2005 and July 2006. EE was graded according to the Los Angeles Classification. Barrett's epithelium was diagnosed based on the Prague C & M Criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In contrast to the decrease of the proportion of EE with aging in males, that in females remained constant. The results suggest that the suppressive effect of the increased gastric mucosal atrophy associated with aging was wiped out by the age-related effect of the increased incidence of hiatal hernia. The proportions of Barrett's epithelium in both males and females increased with aging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Japan, the prevalence of elderly females complicated with hiatal hernia, which was partly due to osteoporosis and kyphosis, may affect the proportion of EE and probably Barrett's epithelium.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Division, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inamori
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akimoto
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mawatari
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nozaki
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoneda
authors.forename: Yasunari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Tamon
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoneda
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Ayumu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Yasunobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kirikoshi
authors.forename: Noritoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakajima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric