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Review
. 2025 Feb;70(2):462-468.
doi: 10.1007/s10620-024-08793-z. Epub 2024 Dec 18.

Asymptomatic Erosive Esophagitis

Yixuan Du  1 , Ashley Spencer  1 , Pabitra Roy  1 , Ahmed Abdulhamid  2 , Shannon Dalessio  2 , John Levenick  2 , Jennifer Maranki  2 , Hadie Razjouyan  2 , Matthew D Coates  3
Affiliations
Review

Asymptomatic Erosive Esophagitis

Yixuan Du et al. Dig Dis Sci. 2025 Feb.

Abstract

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a very common condition characterized by chronic symptoms, such as heartburn or epigastric and/or substernal pain, that are frequently associated with mucosal damage resulting from abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus (Fass et al. in Nat Rev Dis Primers 7:55, 2021; Richter and Rubenstein in Gastroenterology 154:267-276, 2018). However, this damage can manifest in patients who do not exhibit typical GERD symptoms. Asymptomatic erosive esophagitis (AEE) is a condition in which there is esophageal mucosal injury typical for GERD, such as erosions, ulcerations, and/or Barrett's esophagus, visible in upper endoscopy, without concurrent symptoms attributable to GERD. AEE has been challenging to study, and it is not yet clear what causes this condition. As a result, there are no definitive guidelines on how to manage it. AEE also has the potential to be very impactful on public health, as those who are affected may go years without a diagnosis, putting them at risk for a variety of complications, including strictures and even cancer. Further careful study is necessary in order to more effectively address this condition. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the scientific literature regarding AEE, examining its prevalence, clinical characteristics, potential causes and contributing factors, as well as identifying avenues for better characterization and management of this patient population.

Keywords: Asymptomatic; Erosive esophagitis; Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Ethical approval: Not applicable. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent to publish: Not applicable.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Potential contributors to asymptomatic erosive esophagitis. BMI = body mass index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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