WHAT IS EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS (EoE)?
Eosinophilic Esophagitis is an allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus.
The inflammation of the esophagus causes Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
The tube shape Esophagus connects the mouth to the stomach.
WHAT TRIGGERS EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS?
Eosinophilic Esophagitis happens when a particular type of white blood cell, the eosinophil, accumulates in the Esophagitis.
Eosinophil production and accumulation may be caused by:
- Immune hypersensitivity responses to specific foods or environmental proteins.
Some individuals with this EOE have been found to have an unusually high expression of a particular gene called eotaxin-3.
The gene code eotaxin-3 is a protein that is important in controlling the accumulation of eosinophils.
Eosinophilic esophagitis can run in families, but the risk for additional family members is <5% unless they are twins with the EoE patient.
Several genes have been identified to contribute to EoE, including CAPN14 (at chromosome 2p23) and TSLP (at chromosome 5q22).
The increase of eosinophil cells causes injury and inflammation of the esophagus.
WHAT TYPE OF DAMAGE DOES EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS CAUSE?
The damage to the Esophagitis from Eosinophilic may:
- Make eating painful or uncomfortable
- Result in potential poor growth
- Cause chronic pain, e.g., Chest, Abdominal difficulty swallowing
- Food impaction (food sticks to the Esophagus)
The esophagus may become narrow from inflammation.
A narrow Esophagus may cause food to become impacted (stick to the Esophagus).
When food sticks or becomes trapped inside the Esophagus, this creates a medical emergency.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS (EOE)?
- Symptoms of EoE may vary from one individual to the next.
- Age also plays a role in communicating symptoms.
Common symptoms of Eosinophilic Esophagitis include:
- Reflux that does not respond to medication (acid suppressors) – infant, child, adult
- Difficulty swallowing – child, adult
- Food impactions (food becomes stuck inside the esophagus) – older children, adult
Nausea and Vomiting – infant, child, adult - Failure to thrive (poor growth, malnutrition, or weight loss) and poor appetite – infant, child, rarely adult
- Abdominal or chest pain – child, adult
- Feeding refusal/intolerance or poor appetite – infant, child
- Difficulty sleeping due to chest pain, abdominal cramps, reflux, and nausea – infant, child, adult
I hope this HypoGal Blog post, What Is Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)?, is helpful.
Unfortunately, I became aware of EoE when a friend experienced a severe episode of Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
Click on this HypoGal Blog post to read about my experience with EoE.
Resources:
http://www.eosinophilicesophagitishome.org/
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/tc/eosinophilic-esophagitis-topic-overview#1
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