diff --git a/dist/showdown.js b/dist/showdown.js
index 94349cb..dcdf75c 100644
Binary files a/dist/showdown.js and b/dist/showdown.js differ
diff --git a/dist/showdown.js.map b/dist/showdown.js.map
index fe9eac1..a915d0b 100644
Binary files a/dist/showdown.js.map and b/dist/showdown.js.map differ
diff --git a/dist/showdown.min.js b/dist/showdown.min.js
index 4e1842b..e4073af 100644
Binary files a/dist/showdown.min.js and b/dist/showdown.min.js differ
diff --git a/dist/showdown.min.js.map b/dist/showdown.min.js.map
index 946a88b..6c89361 100644
Binary files a/dist/showdown.min.js.map and b/dist/showdown.min.js.map differ
diff --git a/src/subParsers/encodeBackslashEscapes.js b/src/subParsers/encodeBackslashEscapes.js
index 674e69c..7909ed9 100644
--- a/src/subParsers/encodeBackslashEscapes.js
+++ b/src/subParsers/encodeBackslashEscapes.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ showdown.subParser('encodeBackslashEscapes', function (text, options, globals) {
   text = globals.converter._dispatch('encodeBackslashEscapes.before', text, options, globals);
 
   text = text.replace(/\\(\\)/g, showdown.helper.escapeCharactersCallback);
-  text = text.replace(/\\([`*_{}\[\]()>#+.!~=-])/g, showdown.helper.escapeCharactersCallback);
+  text = text.replace(/\\([`*_{}\[\]()>#+.!~=|-])/g, showdown.helper.escapeCharactersCallback);
 
   text = globals.converter._dispatch('encodeBackslashEscapes.after', text, options, globals);
   return text;
diff --git a/src/subParsers/escapeSpecialCharsWithinTagAttributes.js b/src/subParsers/escapeSpecialCharsWithinTagAttributes.js
index 4a0e929..27fc3ce 100644
--- a/src/subParsers/escapeSpecialCharsWithinTagAttributes.js
+++ b/src/subParsers/escapeSpecialCharsWithinTagAttributes.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ showdown.subParser('escapeSpecialCharsWithinTagAttributes', function (text, opti
   text = text.replace(regex, function (wholeMatch) {
     return wholeMatch
       .replace(/(.)<\/?code>(?=.)/g, '$1`')
-      .replace(/([\\`*_~=])/g, showdown.helper.escapeCharactersCallback);
+      .replace(/([\\`*_~=|])/g, showdown.helper.escapeCharactersCallback);
   });
 
   text = globals.converter._dispatch('escapeSpecialCharsWithinTagAttributes.after', text, options, globals);
diff --git a/src/subParsers/tables.js b/src/subParsers/tables.js
index 79498eb..dcd74c9 100644
--- a/src/subParsers/tables.js
+++ b/src/subParsers/tables.js
@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@ showdown.subParser('tables', function (text, options, globals) {
 
   text = globals.converter._dispatch('tables.before', text, options, globals);
 
+  // find escaped pipe characters
+  text = text.replace(/\\(\|)/g, showdown.helper.escapeCharactersCallback);
+
+  // parse tables
   text = text.replace(tableRgx, function (rawTable) {
 
     var i, tableLines = rawTable.split('\n');
diff --git a/test/features/tables/#345.escape-pipe-character.html b/test/features/tables/#345.escape-pipe-character.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..059ef88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/tables/#345.escape-pipe-character.html
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+<table>
+    <thead>
+    <tr>
+        <th>Operator</th>
+        <th>Description</th>
+    </tr>
+    </thead>
+    <tbody>
+    <tr>
+        <td>&amp;</td>
+        <td>Logical AND</td>
+    </tr>
+    <tr>
+        <td>&amp;&amp;</td>
+        <td>Shortcut AND</td>
+    </tr>
+    <tr>
+        <td>|</td>
+        <td>Logical OR</td>
+    </tr>
+    <tr>
+        <td>||</td>
+        <td>Shortcut OR</td>
+    </tr>
+    <tr>
+        <td>^</td>
+        <td>Logical XOR</td>
+    </tr>
+  </tbody>
+</table>
diff --git a/test/features/tables/#345.escape-pipe-character.md b/test/features/tables/#345.escape-pipe-character.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..690b649
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/features/tables/#345.escape-pipe-character.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+| Operator | Description |
+|----------|-------------|
+| & | Logical AND |
+| && | Shortcut AND |
+| \| | Logical OR |
+| \|\| | Shortcut OR |
+| ^ | Logical XOR |
diff --git a/test/issues/#345.no-escape-for-the-pipe-character.html b/test/issues/#345.no-escape-for-the-pipe-character.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c79cde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/issues/#345.no-escape-for-the-pipe-character.html
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<p>this |</p>
diff --git a/test/issues/#345.no-escape-for-the-pipe-character.md b/test/issues/#345.no-escape-for-the-pipe-character.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..26055b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/issues/#345.no-escape-for-the-pipe-character.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+this \|