Overview of eosinophilic oesophagitis

Eosinophilic oesophagitis is a disease that has been recognized in the past 30 years. It causes dysphagia and other symptoms of oesophageal dysfunction. Eosinophilic oesophagitis presents either with a chronic feeling of difficulty swallowing, with food moving slowly through the oesophagus, or as an acute food bolus obstruction requiring emergency attention. Patients may also experience chest pain at this time. It is an inflammatory disorder, thought to be driven by food or environmental antigens, where the most distinctive cell type is eosinophils. Eosinophilic oesophagitis is mediated through a local IgG4 mechanism and does not manifest as a systemic disease. It is diagnosed only on endoscopy and biopsy - there are characteristic endoscopic appearances with oedema, rings, furrows and strictures but the golden rule in its diagnosis is to perform multiple biopsies from multiple sites in the oesophagus in all patients with dysphagia or other oesophageal dysfunction. Finding a peak concentration of >15 eosinophils per high power field in this situation is diagnostic of eosinophilic oesophagitis. Eosinophilic oesophagitis is not usually related to gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, but the two conditions may co-exist. Current therapies include topical steroids (oro-dispersible formulation of budesonide), proton pump inhibitors and dietary exclusions. Therapeutic oesophageal dilatation is reserved for refractory symptoms or tight strictures.