Should I worry about intestinal metaplasia?

Intestinal metaplasia of the stomach or esophagus is a sign of injury. It may or may not be reversible. While it might not cause symptoms on its own, it indicates that significant damage has already been done. It’s also a warning that more serious damage could result if the injury doesn’t stop.

What is the best treatment for intestinal metaplasia?

After confirming a diagnosis of intestinal metaplasia, the doctor can begin treatment. Currently, the most effective treatment is to remove the H. pylori infection completely. This removal is done in combination with the use of antioxidant agents.

Is intestinal metaplasia precancerous?

Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is recognized as a precancerous lesion for gastric cancer, increasing the risk by 6-fold. IM is highly prevalent in the general population, being detected in nearly 1 of every 4 patients undergoing upper endoscopy.

How are precancerous cells in the stomach treated?

Treatment for high-grade dysplasia may include: endoscopic mucosal resection (removal of the area during an endoscopy) limited surgical resection (removal of the area along with a section of healthy tissue)

Can intestinal metaplasia disappear?

Metaplasia is defined as a potentially reversible change from a fully differentiated cell type to another, which implies adaptation to environmental stimuli, and that embryological commitments can be reversed or erased under certain circumstances.

What is Barretts intestinal metaplasia?

Intestinal metaplasia refers to the replacement of the differentiated and mature normal mucosal epithelium outside the intestinal tract by the intestinal epithelium. This paper briefly describes the etiology and clinical significance of intestinal metaplasia in Barrett’s esophagus.

What is gastric metaplasia?

Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is an intermediate precancerous gastric lesion in the gastric cancer cascade of chronic gastritis, atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia (IM), dysplasia, and adenocarcinoma [1]. Although the risk of gastric cancer is increased in patients with GIM, the absolute risk is modest.

Is gastritis a precancerous condition?

Chronic gastritis is a premalignant condition which favours the development of gastric cancer. Chronic gastritis precedes gastric cancer and shows a severalfold increase in the risk of gastric cancer compared to subjects with histologically normal stomach.