Dr. Rajan Bhatt is an established presence in the Scottsdale, Arizona, health care community who leads practices such as Spectrum Dermatology & Vein Center. One of Dr. Rajan Bhatt’s areas of research focus has been Barrett's esophagus, a serious complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Barrett’s esophagus centers on the epithelium, or esophageal lining, which is made up of layered flat cells (not unlike the skin). At the lower esophageal sphincter’s lower end, where the esophagus and stomach meet, the squamous epithelium ends suddenly. It is replaced by the columnar epithelium, a single, side-by-side layer of rectangular cells that extends through the gut to the anus.

When Barrett's esophagus occurs, the columnar epithelium replaces squamous epithelium higher in the esophagus than its normal range. These cells have greater resistance to pepsin and acid, and thus may be a form of defense by the body against refluxed acid, which rises from the stomach to the esophagus with GERD. Unfortunately, Barrett's esophagus is considered a premalignant lesion that can increase esophageal cancer risks by 30 to 50 times.