The condition is named after surgeon Norman Barrett (1903–1979) even though the condition was originally described by Philip Rowland Allison in 1946. Signs and symptoms
The change from normal to premalignant cells indicate Barretts esophagus does not cause any particular symptoms. Barretts esophagus, however, is associated with these symptoms:

frequent and longstanding heartburn
trouble swallowing (dysphagia)
vomiting blood (hematemesis)
pain under the sternum where the esophagus meets the stomach
pain when swallowing (odynophagia), which can lead to unintentional weight lossThe risk of developing Barretts esophagus is increased by central obesity (vs. peripheral obesity). The exact mechanism is unclear. The difference in distribution of fat among men (more central) and women (more peripheral) may explain the increased risk in males. Pathophysiology
Barretts esophagus occurs due to chronic inflammation. The principal cause of chronic inflammation is gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD (UK: GORD). In this disease, acidic stomach, bile, and small intestine and pancreatic contents cause damage to the cells of the lower esophagus. In turn, this provokes an advantage for cells more resistant to these noxious stimuli in particular HOXA13-expressing stem cells that are characterised by distal (intestinal) characteristics and outcompete the normal squamous cells.This mechanism also explains the selection of HER2/neu (also called ERBB2) and the overexpressing (lineage-addicted) cancer cells during the process of carcinogenesis, and the efficacy of targeted therapy against the Her-2 receptor with trastuzumab (Herceptin) in the treatment of adenocarcinomas at the gastroesophageal junction. Researchers are unable to predict who with heartburn will develop Barretts esophagus.
Epidemiology
The incidence in the United States among Caucasian men is eight times the rate among Caucasian women and five times greater than African American men. Overall, the male to female ratio of Barretts esophagus is 10:1. Several studies have estimated the prevalence of Barretts esophagus in the general population to be 1.3% to 1.6% in two European populations (Italian and Swedish), and 3.6% in a Korean population. History
The condition is named after Australian thoracic surgeon Norman Barrett (1903–1979), who in 1950 argued that "ulcers are found below the squamocolumnar junction ... represent gastric ulcers within a pouch of stomach … drawn up by scar tissue into the mediastinum ... representing an example of a congenital short esophagus". In contrast, Philip Rowland Allison and Alan Johnstone argued that the condition related to the "esophagus lined with gastric mucous membrane and not intra-thoracic stomach as Barrett mistakenly believed." Philip Allison, cardiothoracic surgeon and Chair of Surgery at the University of Oxford, suggested "calling the chronic peptic ulcer crater of the esophagus a Barretts ulcer", but added this name did not imply agreement with "Barretts description of an esophagus lined with gastric mucous membrane as stomach." Bani-Hani KE and Bani-Hani KR argue that the terminology and definition of Barretts esophagus is surrounded by extraordinary confusion unlike most other medical conditions and that [t]he use of the eponym “Barrett’s” to describe [the condition] is not justified from a historical point of view.