Dysphagia Among Children-A Single-Center Experience

Background/Objectives: In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), in which dysphagia is one of the main symptoms. To date, there are few data on the prevalence of EoE in pediatric patients with dysphagia. The aim of this study was to determine the causes of dysphagia in children in our region. The second aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of EoE in children with swallowing difficulties and to see if there were differences in the characteristics of dysphagia reported by children with EoE compared to children with non-EoE-related dysphagia. Methods: The 6-year retrospective analysis included patients with dysphagia who were referred to our department. Children with dysphagia were further divided into two groups: group I consisted of children with dysphagia due to EoE, while group II consisted of children with dysphagia due to other causes (non-EoE). Results: One hundred and forty-six children between the ages 0 and 17 were enrolled into the study, including thirty-seven in group I and one hundred and nine in group II. The most common causes of dysphagia were gastrointestinal diseases, followed by neurological/psychiatric disorders. The prevalence of EoE was 25.34% in the whole study group and 41.11% considering only gastrointestinal causes of dysphagia. Children in group I were more likely to have coexisting asthma, allergic rhinitis and food allergy. There was statistically significance in higher blood eosinophil count in EoE individuals. In a multivariate binominal logistic regression model, only eosinophilia and coexisting food allergy were associated with an increased risk of EoE in patients with dysphagia. Conclusions: In our study, the most common cause of dysphagia was gastroenterological diseases, especially EoE. Patients with dysphagia, comorbid allergy and peripheral blood eosinophilia should be suspected for having EoE and referred for endoscopy.