Understanding Eosinophilic esophagitis: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic immune system disease. With this disease, a type of white blood cell, called an eosinophil, builds up in the esophagus. This buildup, which is a reaction to foods, allergens or acid reflux, can inflame or injure the esophageal tissue. Damaged esophageal tissue can lead to difficulty swallowing or cause food to get stuck when swallow.

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Signs & symptoms

Signs and symptoms include:
Adults:
* Difficulty swallowing, also called dysphagia
* Food getting stuck in the esophagus after swallowing, also known as impaction
* Chest pain that is often centrally located and does not respond to antacids
* Backflow of undigested food, known as regurgitation

Children:
* Difficulty feeding, in infants
* Difficulty eating, in children
* Vomiting
* Abdominal pain
* Difficulty swallowing, also called dysphagia
* Food getting stuck in the esophagus after swallowing, also known as impaction
* No response to GERD medication
* Failure to thrive, including poor growth, malnutrition and weight loss

Diagnosis

The doctor will consider both the symptoms and test results to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis. This will include determining whether a patient have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Tests to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis include:
* Upper endoscopy.
* Biopsy.
* Blood tests.
* Esophageal sponge.

Treatment

Eosinophilic esophagitis is considered a chronic relapsing disease, meaning that most people will require ongoing treatment to control their symptoms. Treatment will involve one or more of the following:
Dietary therapy
Depending on the response to tests for food allergies, the doctor may recommend that a patient stop eating certain foods. Cutting out some foods, such as dairy or wheat products, may help to relieve symptoms and reduce inflammation. Sometimes, it may be recommended to limit your diet even more.

Medication
* Proton pump inhibitor (PPI)
* Topical steroid
* Monoclonal antibodies.

Dilation
If a patient experience severe narrowing, known as a stricture, of the esophagus, the doctor may recommend dilation. Dilation, also called stretching, can help make swallowing easier. Dilation may be used if steroids are not helpful. Or dilation may be a choice to avoid ongoing use of medication.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

Learn more about our editorial process for content accuracy.

Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital