10 Years Of Experience With Eosinophilic Esophagitis In Five Czech Pediatric Endoscopy Centers

Aims Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease of the esophagus characterized by local eosinophilic infiltration accompanied by symptoms of esophageal dysfunction. EoE may affect individuals at any age, although the clinical presentation and relevant triggers are different among children and adult patients. The aim of this study was to characterize features and management of pediatric EoE diagnosed in Czech Republic.

Methods The observational survey retrospectively analyzed a data set of child patients with histologically proven EoE from five pediatric endoscopy centers in Moravia region. Demographic features; clinical symptoms; laboratory, endoscopic, and histopathological findings; and chosen treatment of patients were recorded and analyzed.

Results From 2010 to 2020, 33 new cases of EoE were reported (81 % male). The median age of symptom onset was 7 years, while the median age for diagnosis was almost 13 years. The most common symptoms were reflux symptoms in general (39.4 %), followed by vomiting (36.4 %), and dysphagia (33.3 %). Examination for sensitization to food allergens was performed on 23 (69.7 %) patients of which 17 (51.5 % of all cases) were sensitized to some allergens. Another allergic comorbidity was present in 75.8 % of patients, and the most common were bronchial asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (45.5 % and 42.2 %, respectively). More than two-thirds of patients (69.7 %) had abnormal macroscopic findings during diagnostic endoscopy, and the most common were longitudinal furrows and white exudates. The most common initial modality of treatment was to use proton-pump inhibitors (PPI; 93.9 %), followed by food elimination (75.8 %) and then by corticosteroid administration (63.6 %).

Conclusions This is the first retrospective study on pediatric patients with EoE in the Czech Republic. We found similar features of EoE as reported in formerly published works elsewhere. Collecting long-term prospective observational data in a national EoE register of patients in the Czech Republic would significantly improve our knowledge of this disease.

Citation Pecl J, Jabandziev P, Kunovsky L et al. eP460 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS IN FIVE CZECH PEDIATRIC ENDOSCOPY CENTERS. Endoscopy 2021; 53: S248.

Publication History

Article published online:
19 March 2021