Incidence of non-esophageal eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease in Sweden 1990-2015

Data on the incidence of Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease (EGID) distal to the esophagus are scarce. This study aimed to examine the incidence of non-eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) EGID in Sweden, as well as its three entities; eosinophilic gastritis (EoG), eosinophilic enteritis (EoN), and eosinophilic colitis (EoC).

We performed a nationwide population-based cohort study of individuals with incident biopsy-confirmed non-EoE EGID in Sweden from 1990 to 2015. Age-standardized and age-specific incidence rates (IRs) were calculated.

We identified 1882 individuals with incident non-EoE EGID. Females constituted 58% and the mean age at diagnosis was 45 years. EoC was the most common subtype (62%). From 1990 to 2015, the mean age-standardized IR was approximately 0.8 per 100,000 person-years (IR = 0.79; 95%CI = 0.64-0.93), but with higher IRs in recent years (2013-2015: IR = 1.51; 95%CI = 1.09-1.93). The incidence increased especially during the 1990s, with a 27% annual increase before 2000, compared to a 3% annual increase thereafter. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) between females and males was 1.38 (95%CI = 1.26-1.51), but no evidence was found to suggest that the IRR varied across calendar periods or by age. The lifetime risk of diagnosed non-EoE EGID was 0.08% (1 in 1250) in females and 0.06% (1 in 1667) in males.

The incidence of non-EoE EGID in Sweden increased between 1990 and 2015. This may reflect a higher disease awareness in recent years.