Food elimination may have value in treating adult eosinophilic esophagitis. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Successful Food Elimination Therapy in Adult Eosinophilic Esophagitis: Not All Patients are the Same.
J Clin Gastroenterol. 2012 Feb 13. Epub 2012 Feb 13. PMID: 22334220
*Departments of Allergy†Gastroenterology, Hospital General de Tomelloso, Tomelloso ‡Research Unit, Complejo Hospitalario La Mancha Centro, Alcázar de San Juan §Department of Pathology, Complejo Hospitalario La Mancha Centro, Alcázar de San Juan, Ciudad Real, Spain.
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, immune/antigen-mediated, esophageal disease characterized by esophageal dysfunction and eosinophilic inflammation, manifested mainly as dysphagia and frequent food impaction. EoE is recognized into the spectrum of food allergy, but food sensitization studies used not to be efficient to identify the triggering food, because of what patients are frequently treated with topic steroids or even endoscopic esophageal dilation. Herein, we describe 3 adult patients-all suffering from EoE, but with different sensitization patterns-who were treated successfully with elimination diets. Allergy tests indicated no food sensitization for patient 1, but challenge with milk and wheat were positive. Food IgE-mediated allergies were found in patients 2 and 3; inflammation was resolved with food elimination. Lack of food allergy sensitization does not exclude the possibility of food allergies as a cause of EoE; elimination diets must therefore be considered as an effective diagnostic and treatment tool.