Studies on nutrition and precancerous lesions of the esophagus in the adolescents

Abstract

This paper reports the prevalence of chronic esophagitis and nutritional status among 538 young persons aged 15 to 26 years from the high risk area for esophageal cancer. Of these subjects, 166 were from households with history of esophageal cancer and 372 were from households without history of esophageal cancer. The incidences of chronic esophagitis among male and female adolescents were 37. 6% and 36% respectively, which was significantly higher than those in the low risk area (17%). The frequency of chronic esophagitis in the adolescents in the households with history of esophageal cancer was also higher than in those in the households without history of esophageal cancer. The deficiencies of vitamins, especially of riboflavin and ascorbate, are prevalent and severe among these adolescents. Ascorbate deficiency is correlated with the severity of the chronic esophagitis. These results indicate that chronic esophagitis may be involved in the natural history of esophageal carcinogenesis. Nutrient deficiencies may create an environment favorable to the development of precancerous lesions.