Complications

Bile reflux gastritis has been linked to stomach cancer. The combination of bile reflux and acid reflux also increases the risk of the following complications:

• GERD. This condition, which causes irritation and inflammation of the esophagus, is most often due to excess acid, but bile may be mixed with the acid.

  Bile is often suspected of contributing to GERD when people respond incompletely or not at all to powerful acid-suppressant medications.

• Barrett's esophagus. This serious condition can occur when long-term exposure to stomach acid, or to acid and bile, damages tissue in the lower esophagus. The damaged esophageal cells have an increased risk of becoming cancerous. Animal studies have also linked bile reflux to Barrett's esophagus.
• Esophageal cancer. There's a link between acid reflux and bile reflux and esophageal cancer, which may not be diagnosed until it's quite advanced. In animal studies, bile reflux alone has been shown to cause cancer of the esophagus.