Eosinophilic Esophagitis: Diagnosis and Treatment Options

1. Allergy Grand Rounds Michael Goldman, M.D. Johns Hopkins Asthma & Allergy Center April 2, 2004

2. Chief Complaint This is a 37 y.o. WM who presents with dysphagia of solid foods for three years

3. HPI Complains of difficulty swallowing solid foods. Steak, chicken, pork, and bread get stuck in the base of throat  emesis, with relief of obstruction No pain on swallowing, no heartburn, no wt. loss No difficulty swallowing liquids Only slight improvement with Nexium. Stopped due to nausea. Referred to GI

4. Work up • Normal Exam • Barium swallow: narrowing of distal esophagus. • Differential diagnosis: • Peptic stricture (from reflux esophagitis), but no history of reflux • Motility disorder (eg achalasia, esophageal spasm) but no mention of abnormal motility or dilated esophagus on barium swallow • Hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter • Schatzki ring (Lower esophageal mucosal ring)

5. Achalasia

6. Schatzki Ring

7. Work up • Endoscopy: • “Ringed” esophagus • Several “polypoid/nodular” areas, biopsied • Narrowing of the distal esophagus • Not consistent with Schatzki ring • Stricture dilated

8. Ringed Esophagus

9. Esophageal nodules

10. Whitish exudates

11. Esophageal Stricture with Food Impaction

12. Biopsy Results • Esophagus: • Moderate chronic inflammation • Focally parakeratotic (excessive keratin) papillary tissue with increased areas of eosinophils in subepithelium • Read as compatible with squamous papilloma with eosinophilia described in reflux esophagitis. • No dysplasia

13. Eosinophilic Esophagitis Referred for allergy evaluation

14. Allergy Consultation • Dysphagia of solids persists, but no further vomiting episodes since esophageal dilitation. • No history of food allergy, but on careful questioning reports slight itchy throat to peanuts, eggs, possibly nuts. • Beer causes facial flushing and mild throat constriction. No reactions to other forms of alcohol.

15. Medical/Social History • Allergic rhinitis as a child, treated with immunotherapy. Mild symptoms presently except around pets. • Mild asthma around pets and with exercise in cold air. Uses albuterol prn. No steroids or ER visits since childhood. • Otherwise healthy: no cardiac disease, rashes, arthritis, fevers, chills, diarrhea, travel • No pets, non smoker, no ETOH abuse.

16. Physical Exam • Normal • No edema of nasal mucosa • Clear lungs • Cardiac without murmurs • Normal abdominal exam • Diagnostic testing performed • What would you test for?

17. Skin Testing-scratch

18. Now What? • More skin testing? • Confirm with RAST? • Food patch testing? • Other blood tests? • Food avoidance? • Epipen? • Medicines?

19. My recommendations • Food avoidance for 1 month: all positive skin tests except wheat (borderline) • Egg, peanut, beer (malt), hazelnut, almond, pork, lamb. • Confirm positive tests with cap-Rast. • Check CBC, eosinophil count, total IgE • No meds prescribed

20. Blood results

21. Follow Up • Improved but not resolved • Still with some dysphagia but no choking or vomiting (since dilitation) • Avoiding egg, pork, lamb, fish, malt, peanuts, and nuts • Skin tests to individual fish all + except tuna • Skin tests to inhalants +cat, dog, DM, trees, grass. • No seasonal worsening of dysphagia

22. Now What? • Recommended wheat avoidance for 2 weeks, symptoms partially improved • Pt not interested in neocate trial • To start Flovent 220 2 p bid, without spacer, swallowed. • GI follow up in 2 months.

23. Adult Eosinophilic Esophagitis • Typically seen in young adults (mean age 34) • Dysphagia with bolus impaction is most common symptom • Esophageal strictures common (unlike kids) • Esophageal biopsy necessary for diagnosis • Exclude secondary causes: HES, parasitic disease, connective tissue dz (scleroderma), drug reaction

24. Adult Eosinophilic Esophagitis • Mean duration to diagnosis 4 years • Male : Female = 3 : 1 • 50 – 75% atopic • Food sensitization common, but not well studied

25. Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis • Reflux symptoms most common presentation • Vomiting • Regurgitation • Abdominal pain • Dysphagia • Food refusal/poor wt. gain • Unresponsive to PPIs for GERD • Strictures less common

26. Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis • Endoscopy and biopsy needed for diagnosis • Food sensitization very common • 60-75% skin test positive (egg, milk most common) • 80% in one study positive patch test to foods (wheat most common)1 1Spergel, JACI 2002, 109:363-368

27. Treatment • Food avoidance • Effective in children • Elemental formula reduced eosinophils and symptoms1 • 8/10 resolution, other 2 improved • Food avoidance based on all positive skin test and food patch test:2 • resolved symptoms in 18/24 kids w/ EE and improved symptoms other 6. Milk, egg most common, but many others implicated. Average of 3.6+/-2.1 foods • Mean esophageal eosinophils decreased 55.8/hpf8.4/hpf • No studies in adults 1Kelly, Gastroenterology, 1995, 1503-1512 2Spergel, JACI 2002, 109:363-368

28. Treatment • Oral corticosteroids • Effective but side effects • Topical Steroids (swallowed “inhaled” steroids) • Swallow FP 220 2pbid • Improvement in both adults and children • Esophageal candidiasis (2/13 kids)1 1Teitlebaum, Gastroenterology 2002;122:1216

29. Treatment • Esophageal dilitation • Relieves obstruction, dysphagia often persists • PPIs for EE generally ineffective

30. EE vs. GERD