Esophageal eosinophilia in children: A 6-year single-center experience

Esophageal eosinophilia (EE) and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) are emerging clinical entities, the prevalence of which has increased during the last 15 years. However, there is a lack of data concerning the etiology and outcomes of EE in children. The aim of this study was therefore to analyze the clinical findings and outcomes of children with EE and EoE in our pediatric gastroenterology unit over a 6-year period. The study included children undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) during this 6-year period (January 2010 to December 2015) in our pediatric gastroenterology unit. The files of patients with EE were re-evaluated in detail to elicit demographic features, clinical, laboratory and histopathological findings, treatment modalities and outcomes. EE was determined in 33 patients [0.95% (95% CI: 0.63-1.27) among all children, and in 4.66% (95% CI: 3.11-6.21) of children undergoing esophageal biopsy] (8.6 +/- 4.2 years and 72.7% male). EoE was the most common cause of EE (n=11, 33.3%), followed by eosinophilic gastroenteropathy (n=6, 18.1%) and proton pump inhibitor responsive esophageal eosinophilia (n=4, 12.1%). Patients with EoE (n=11) were followed up for 21.2 +/- 18 (range: 1-60) months, and treatment was discontinued in 2 patients (18.1%). Additionally, 5 patients (45.5%) received diet elimination only and 1 patient (9%) received a combination of low dose steroids and diet. Three patients (27.2%) are still being treated under the initial regimen. The overall incidence of EE increased in 2014-2015 compared to 2010-2011 (0.41% vs. 1.33, p=0.047, OR: 3.22 and 95% CI: 0.94-10.98, p=0.06). EE is an increasingly common clinical entity with a wide spectrum of etiology and clinical presentations in children.