Eosinophilic esophagitis (patient information)

	Eosinophilic esophagitis
Overview
What are the symptoms?
What are the causes?
Who is at highest risk?
Diagnosis
When to seek urgent medical care?
Treatment options
Where to find medical care for Eosinophilic esophagitis?
Prevention
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Possible complications
Eosinophilic esophagitisOn the Web
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Risk calculators and risk factors for Eosinophilic esophagitis

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:

Overview

The symptoms of the eosinophilic esophagitis are as follows:

The causes of EoE are the food and pollen react with the lining of the esophagus, these allergens cause the multiplication of eosinophils in the layers of the esophagus and produce a protein that causes inflammation.
The inflammation further cause scarring, excessive fibrous tissue deposition over the lining of the esophagus eventually leading to difficulty in swallowing.
The difficulty in swallowing can sometimes worsen to cause food impaction and additional symptoms such as chest pain.

The risk factors of EoE are as follows
Common in both children and adults,
Male gender
Cold and dry climate
EoE is common in people with a history of European ancestry
Summer and fall
Positive family history of EoE
History of allergies such as asthma, industrial exposures, environmental allergies, chronic respiratory disease, food allergies and atopic dermatitis.

There are no specific diagnostic markers to diagnose the EoE patients.
Although not specific, elevated serum IgE levels are identified in majority patients.
An increased peripheral eosinophil count is also seen in majority patients.
There are 3 main ways in which food allergies can be detected in EE are Skin prick testing, Blood allergy testing, Atopy patch testing.
The barium swallow of the esophagus shows multiple rings associated with eosinophilic esophagitis.
There are no MRI or CT scan findings associated with EoE. however, an MRI or a CT scan may be helpful in the diagnosis of complications of EoE such as tears, perforation strictures etc