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Eosinophilic esophagitis is an allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus. Symptoms are swallowing difficulty, food impaction, and heartburn. The disease was first described in children but occurs in adults as well. The condition is not well understood, but food allergy may play a significant role.[1]
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Diagnosis
Diagnosis is obtained during an upper GI endoscopy where biopsies are taken of the esophagus. At the time of endoscopy, ridges or furrows may be seen in the esophagus wall. Sometimes, multiple rings may occur in the esophagus, leading to the term "corrugated esophagus" or "feline esophagus" due to the similarity in the rings of the cat esophagus. A high number of eosinophils are seen on microscopic examination of the biopsy specimens.
Skin testing can help identify which foods might contribute to this disease, but often skin testing implicates foods that are not involved. Common allergens of EE patients are cow's milk, soy, egg, and wheat.
Treatment
Treatment strategies include dietary modification, medical therapy, and mechanical dilatation of the esophagus. The initial approach to the disorder is often allergy evaluation as described above in an attempt to identify the allergens in the diet or environment. If the offending agent is found, the diet is modified so that these allergens are eliminated.
Medical therapy begins with acid-inhibition medication. A sizable minority of patients with EE have some reflux component to their condition which warrants such treatment. Proton pump inhibitors are often the first-line medical therapy. EE patients by definition have persistent symptoms even with acid-inhibition therapy. For this reason, alternative medical therapies are often employed. Treatment that targets the inflammation includes swallowed corticosteroids such as fluticasone, leukotriene modifiers like montelukast, and anti-interleukins such as the anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody mepolizumab. Other drugs attempt to halt the allergic response; these include antihistamines such as loratidine. Patients with severe symptoms despite these interventions may require oral corticosteroids such as methylprednisolone.
Mechanical dilatation may be considered in severe cases of EE that have progressed to esophageal stricture or severe stenosis. Dilatation is accomplished by passing dilators through the mouth and down the esophagus to gently expand its diameter. As the esophagus of patients with EE is rather thin and delicate, care is taken not to perforate the esophagus by overzeaolous dilatation.
History
Eosinophilic esophagitis (often referred to as EE in the United Sates, or EO in countries which use British spelling) was only discovered in recent years, and little is known about its pathogenesis. EE is a chronic disease associated with an elevated count of eosinophils in the esophagus. Normally, very few or no eosinophils are present in this upper digestive organ. In the past, patients with EE were incorrectly diagnosed as GERD suffererers. These patients were typically prescribed proton pump inhibitors, under the assumption that their problem was caused by excess stomach acid. However, researches have since discovered that EE patients often have a normal pH in their GI tract. The symptoms of GERD and EE are often similar, and this makes the diagnosis more difficult. But when a patient suffering from esophageal discomfort tests normal from a 24-hour pH probe, GERD is eliminated as a possible cause and EE becomes the main suspect. In fact, GERD patients may also show an elevated count of eosinophils, but this elevation is much lower than in EE patients.
At this time, the only reliable method used to diagnose EE is the upper endoscopy with multiple biopsies. The barium swallow test may show irregularities in the shape of the esophagus caused by EE, but not all patients have such physical characteristics. The endoscopy is performed by a gastroenterologist, a specialist in pathology associated with the GI tract. The upper endoscopy is normally done as an outpatient procedure, with the administration of mild anesthesia. Biopsy samples must be taken from multiple sites on the surface of the esophagus, to ensure that the condition is not overlooked.
More recently, researches have begun looking for links between EE and autoimmune diseases. Some EE patients suffer from skin conditions such as psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis or respiratory conditions such as asthma or allergic rhinitis. At this time, there appears to be no link between EE and esophogeal cancer.
Awareness of the disease is growing. In December 2007, EE received national attention after a Middleton, Idaho family, whose four children all suffer from the disease, were built a new home designed to manage its unique conditions by CBH Homes on the Emmy Award-winning TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
References
- ^ Blanchard C, Rothenberg ME (January 2008). "Basic pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis". Gastrointest. Endosc. Clin. N. Am. 18 (1): 133–43; x. doi:. PMID 18061107. PMC:2194642.
External links
- American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders
- Canadian Council for Eosinophilic Disorders
- Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders
- UCLA Center for Esophageal Disorders
- CHOP Center for Pediatric Eosinophilic Disorders
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- This page was last modified on 19 September 2008, at 19:34.
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