A condition in which there is a change in the lining of the food pipe (esophagus) where it is joined to the stomach. This means that the cells in the lining of your esophagus have undergone a change due to long term irritation from the acid of the stomach. For this reason, it is thought that there is a link to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), or in simpler terms, heartburn. The symptoms, therefore, for Barrett’s esophagus will be similar to those of heartburn; acidic taste, burning in the mouth or chest, difficulty swallowing, coughing, and a hoarse voice. Due to this, it is difficult to diagnose and we, therefore, have to perform an upper endoscopy. An endoscopy is performed with an endoscope, a flexible tube with a camera and light attached on the end, which allows us to view the food pipe and stomach on a screen. It can be the case that viewing the lining of the esophagus is not enough to diagnose a patient with this condition, because of this a biopsy (tissue sample) must be taken to be viewed under the microscope. The advantage to an endoscopy is that it allows the viewing of the lining as well as a biopsy to be taken during the same procedure.