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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 21, 2026; 32(31): 117258
Published online Aug 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.117258
Published online Aug 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.117258
Reflux self-medication and limited healthcare consultation: Systemic inadequacies in Barrett’s esophagus screening, surveillance, and management
Stavros P Papadakos, Alexandra Argyrou, The First Academic Department of Gastroenterology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, General Hospital of Athens "Laiko", Athens 11527, Greece
Ioannis Katsaros, Dimitrios Schizas, The First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, General Hospital of Athens "Laiko", Athens 11527, Greece
Efstathia Liatsou, Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg 41345, Gothenburg, Sweden
Co-first authors: Stavros P Papadakos and Ioannis Katsaros.
Author contributions: Papadakos SP and Schizas D conceived and designed the overall concept and structure of the manuscript; Papadakos SP, Katsaros I, and Liatsou E performed the literature review and data synthesis; Papadakos SP drafted the initial version of the manuscript; Argyrou A contributed to critical interpretation of the evidence and manuscript editing; Katsaros I and Schizas D critically reviewed the manuscript for important intellectual content and clinical accuracy; Schizas D supervised the work and made the final revisions.
AI contribution statement: ChatGPT was used solely for language polishing and improvement of readability. No part of the scientific content of the manuscript (including the Abstract, Introduction, main text, and Conclusion) was generated by AI. All content was written, critically revised, and approved by the authors. No AI tools were involved in the conceptualization of the manuscript, literature interpretation, or development of the scientific arguments. All authors take full responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Corresponding author: Dimitrios Schizas, PhD, Professor, The First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, General Hospital of Athens "Laiko", 17 Agiou Thoma Street, Goudi, Athens 11527, Greece. schizasad@gmail.com
Received: December 3, 2025
Revised: December 30, 2025
Accepted: February 10, 2026
Published online: August 21, 2026
Processing time: 244 Days and 17.8 Hours
Revised: December 30, 2025
Accepted: February 10, 2026
Published online: August 21, 2026
Processing time: 244 Days and 17.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Current models for identifying Barrett’s esophagus (BE) rely on patients seeking care for gastroesophageal reflux disease, yet more than half of symptomatic individuals never consult a physician and many mask symptoms with over-the-counter therapy. This creates a largely invisible high-risk population, further amplified by rising obesity and inconsistent surveillance quality. Evidence from population-based studies, registry data, and emerging non-endoscopic tools highlights the need to shift from symptom-driven screening to proactive, risk-based, and system-level strategies to improve BE detec