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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Simultaneous Laryngopharyngeal and Conventional Esophageal pH Monitoring
Published on: December 14, 2020
Update on esophagitis: controversial and underdiagnosed causes
1Department of Pathology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. amy.noffsinger@uchospitals.edu
Distinguishing between reflux esophagitis and eosinophilic esophagitis can be challenging due to overlapping histologic features. Drug-induced esophagitis is also common but often underrecognized by pathologists.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Pathology
Background:
- Esophagitis presents with overlapping histopathologic features across different etiologies.
- Distinguishing between causes is difficult, particularly in disorders with increased intraepithelial eosinophils.
Purpose of the Study:
- Review key clinical and pathologic features of reflux esophagitis and eosinophilic esophagitis.
- Highlight distinguishing features for surgical pathologists.
- Discuss underrecognized drug-induced esophagitis.
Main Methods:
- Literature review using PubMed.
- Analysis of personal case collection for histologic examples.
Main Results:
- Reflux and eosinophilic esophagitis share overlapping histologic characteristics.
- Accurate distinction between these conditions can be challenging.
Conclusions:
- Histologic overlap complicates the diagnosis of reflux vs. eosinophilic esophagitis.
- Drug-induced esophagitis is likely prevalent but frequently missed by pathologists.
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