Clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes, and resource utilization in children and adults with eosinophilic gastroenteritis.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare condition where eosinophilic inflammation occurs in the gastrointestinal tract in the absence of secondary causes. Little is known regarding aetiology, pathogenesis, or natural history.

AIMS:

To characterize the clinical, endoscopic, and histopathologic features of eosinophilic gastroenteritis and to summarize treatment outcomes.

METHODS:

Pathology reports of all patients who had undergone upper endoscopy with biopsy between January 1, 2000 and June 20, 2013 were reviewed. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis was diagnosed if there were ≥20 eosinophils/hpf on either gastric of duodenal biopsy, symptoms attributable to the gastrointestinal tract, and no known secondary cause of eosinophilia. Descriptive statistics characterized patients diagnosed with eosinophilic gastroenteritis and bivariate analysis compared adults and children.

RESULTS:

There were 44 patients diagnosed with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease. The most common symptoms were vomiting (71%) and abdominal pain (62%). Of the eosinophilic gastroenteritis cases, 12 (30%) had esophageal involvement, and 11 (28%) had colonic involvement. For treatment, 36 (80%) received corticosteroids. Overall, 27 (60%) had symptom resolution and 23 (51%) had endoscopic resolution. Cases underwent a mean of five endoscopic procedures per year.

CONCLUSION:

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis presents with non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms and in almost one-third of cases has concomitant esophageal or colonic involvement. It remains difficult to treat, with high rates of endoscopic utilization.

• Authors: Craig Reed, John T Woosley, Evan S Dellon
• Journal: Digestive and liver disease : official journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (Dig Liver Dis) Vol. 47 Issue 3 Pg. 197-201 (Mar 2015) ISSN: 1878-3562 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 25547198 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2014 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Adrenal Cortex Hormones
• Immunoglobulin E

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adrenal Cortex Hormones (therapeutic use)
• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Biopsy
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Duodenum (pathology)
• Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal
• Enteritis (diagnosis, drug therapy)
• Eosinophilia (diagnosis, drug therapy)
• Female
• Gastritis (diagnosis, drug therapy)
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin E (blood)
• Infant
• Leukocyte Count
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Retrospective Studies
• Stomach (pathology)
• Treatment Outcome
• Young Adult