Kim Kardashian Discloses Esophagitis Diagnosis in New Television Trailer

Reality television personality Kim Kardashian disclosed Thursday that she has been diagnosed with esophagitis, an inflammatory condition of the esophagus, in a trailer for the upcoming eighth season of her family’s television program.

“I have something called esophagitis,” Kardashian states in the promotional footage. The announcement prompted an emotional response from her mother, Kris Jenner, who remarked that the diagnosis made her want to cry.

The disclosure carries particular weight for the Kardashian family. Robert Kardashian, Kim’s father and the prominent attorney who defended O.J. Simpson during his 1995 murder trial, died of esophageal cancer in 2003 at the age of 59. The trailer includes footage of Kardashian in a hospital bed connected to medical equipment, with someone off camera questioning whether this condition is what claimed her father’s life.

According to medical experts, esophagitis encompasses several distinct conditions, all involving inflammation of the tissue lining the esophagus, the muscular tube responsible for transporting food and liquid from the mouth to the stomach. Kardashian did not specify which form of the condition she has been diagnosed with.

Dr. Stuart Spechler, a gastroenterologist at Baylor University Medical Center and member of the American Gastroenterological Association, explained that the most common form is reflux esophagitis, a complication arising from gastroesophageal reflux disease. In these cases, the mechanisms that normally prevent stomach acid from moving upward into the esophagus fail, allowing refluxed acid to irritate and damage the esophageal tissue. Patients typically experience heartburn and regurgitation.

Some individuals with reflux esophagitis develop Barrett’s esophagus, a more serious condition in which chronic acid exposure damages the esophagus’s normal lining. The damaged tissue is then replaced by cells more commonly found in the intestine and stomach. This condition serves as a risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma, a form of esophageal cancer.

However, Spechler emphasized that esophagitis represents only a minor risk factor for esophageal cancer. Women face considerably lower risk than men for developing both Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer. Most patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and reflux esophagitis do not develop Barrett’s esophagus, and most Barrett’s esophagus patients do not develop cancer.

Physicians diagnose both conditions through endoscopy, a procedure allowing direct examination of the esophagus and tissue sampling to detect abnormalities. Patients diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus typically undergo regular endoscopic monitoring to identify early changes indicating elevated cancer risk.

The Kardashian family has maintained involvement in esophageal health research and treatment since their father’s death. In 2019, the family participated in opening the Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health at UCLA, established to provide comprehensive, patient-centered treatment, research, and education regarding esophageal disorders. The family committed to fundraising efforts supporting the center’s key initiatives.

“Our family is proud to pay tribute to our father by partnering with UCLA Health to establish the Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health,” Kardashian stated at the time of the center’s opening.

The eighth season of the family’s television program is expected to address Kardashian’s diagnosis and treatment in greater detail.