Eosinophilic oesophagitis still on the rise
13 September 2011
Cases of eosinophilic oesophagitis (EO) - a condition that causes inflammation and swelling of the oesophagus, or food-pipe - are increasing in Australia, an expert says.
Associate Professor Katie Allen, from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, said the condition was at least as common as Crohn's disease.
"We see on average 30 new patients a year at the Royal Children’s Hospital [Melbourne]," she said.
One Swedish study showed the incidence (rate of cases) in the population could be as high as one in 1000.
Professor Allen told the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy annual scientific meeting in Sydney last week (6-10 September 2011) that symptoms of EO in young children can include feeding refusal, vomiting and sometimes choking. In older children symptoms may include food sticking in the throat, and difficulty eating hard foods and swallowing.
The condition was often caused by food allergy. It needed to be diagnosed by endoscopy - viewing through a thin lighted tube passed down the throat - to distinguish it from gastro-oesophageal reflux.
"We think it is akin to being eczema of the oesophagus, so the treatments can be similar, including ... inhaled corticosteroids," she said.
"But before you start those sorts of treatments we always recommend - particularly in young children - a trial of dietary elimination."
Professor Allen said if poorly treated, EO could result in strictures (narrowing of the oesophagus).
"We found up to 10 per cent of children had strictures, which is quite concerning."
Last Reviewed: 16 September 2011
