Familial factors in the etiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett's esophagus, and esophageal adenocarcinoma

Familial aggregation of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms has been established clearly in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and its complications. Preliminary reports of twin studies suggest that this aggregation has a significant genetic component. A genetic predisposition to gastroesophageal reflux may be expressed phenotypically as disordered gastroesophageal motility and hiatus hernia but these disorders may be secondary to chronic gastroesophageal reflux. Linkage studies, the discovery of candidate genes for gastroesophageal reflux, and their phenotypic expression are awaited with interest.