Study: People with chronic acid reflux may be able to get COVID-19 from eating - STLtoday.com

The cells resemble intestinal cells rather than normal esophagus cells.

Researchers studied tissue from 30 patients with a common disorder called Barrett’s esophagus — when repeated exposure to stomach acid changes the normal tissue lining of the esophagus to resemble the lining of the intestine.

Jason Mills and his team wondered if Barrett’s patients also would develop receptors in the esophagus, the tube that carries food to the stomach, according to a university news release about the study.

An estimated one in five people have chronic acid reflux, and 10% to 20% of those with chronic reflux develop Barrett’s esophagus.

Note from Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: The discrepancy in the number of deaths on July 19, 2020, was due a duplicate record being discovered by the Missouri DHSS.