Eosinophilic esophagitis in Egyptian adult patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal symptoms

Abstract

Background and Study Aim: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a clinicopathological disease characterized by esophageal dysfunction and marked esophageal eosinophilic infiltration. It shows a marked increase in incidence and prevalence and has been associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim of this work was to detect the prevalence of EoE in Egyptian adult patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal symptoms and to clarify its clinical pattern and the possibility of its overlap with GERD. Patients and Methods: The study included 91 adult patients presenting with various upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was done and esophageal biopsies were taken. The presence of >15 eosinophils per high power field together with a history of intake of proton pump inhibitors for at least 3 weeks without improvement was used as prerequisite diagnostic criteria for EoE. Results: Classification of the patients was based on both endoscopic and histo-pathological findings. Accordingly, out of the 91 patients, 70 had GERD (76.9%); 58 of them had erosive reflux disease (ERD) and 12 had endoscopically normal esophagus but with histopathological changes compatible with reflux esophagitis and were classified as non erosive reflux disease (NERD). Eighteen patients had normal endoscopic and histopathological esophagus (19.8%), and 3 patients had EoE (3.3%), with an overlap between ERD and EoE in one patient. The mean age of EoE patients was 41.6 ± 11.7 years. Two of them were males and one was a female. All of the 3 patients complained of dysphagia and none com plained of heartburn. The endoscopists did not report any endoscopic findings characteristic of EoE. Conclusion: The prevalence of EoE is low in adult Egyptian patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Dysphagia is the main presenting symptom of EoE while heartburn is not characteristic of the disease. Normal esophagus endoscopically does not exclude EoE.