We report on a case of
eosinophilic esophagitis in a 33-year-old Japanese woman who visited our hospital with
dysphagia and esophageal food impaction in April 2006. She had had the same symptoms in May 2005, and, by endoscopic and histologic examination, she was diagnosed with
eosinophilic esophagitis. Biopsy specimens from multiple locations in the esophageal mucosa had shown remarkable infiltration of eosinophils, more than 20 eosinophils per high-power field in squamous mucosa, and she had been treated with Th2
cytokine antagonist and
proton pump inhibitor at the time. Her symptoms had not improved, but she had received no further medical treatment. In 2006, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed edematous whitish esophageal mucosa, multiple ulcerations with whitish exudates on their surfaces, and white plaques. Biopsy specimens showed the same change as before, and
corticosteroid (
prednisolone 20 mg/day) was administered orally. After 2 weeks of
corticosteroid therapy, her symptom had effectively improved. Endoscopy after 15 weeks of the
therapy revealed remarkable improvement, and biopsy specimens from esophageal mucosa revealed the disappearance of the eosinophil infiltrates. We report on a case of
eosinophilic esophagitis effectively treated with systemic
corticosteroids.
Eosinophilic esophagitis has, as yet, no standardized treatment. However, wider recognition of its features on endoscopy may reveal more cases, thereby increasing our understanding of this disease, and will provide new therapeutic possibilities.