The Management and Course of Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Israeli Children
2Pediatric Neurology and development center, Meir Medical Center, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, ישראל
Aim: Eosinophilic Esophagitis)EoE) is a chronic inflammatory esophageal disease, which has become more recognized in the past decade. We wanted to characterize our patients and review their course of disease and response to treatment.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of EoE patients from January 2010 to May 2018 in our Gastroenterology Institute. A hundred and two children were included in this study. We investigated the characteristics of patients and the response to three treatment options: Proton Pump Inhibitors, elimination diet, and topical steroids. The response to treatment was analyzed according to 3 aspects: clinical, endoscopic appearance, and histological features.
Results: Clinical improvement was noted in 55%, 75% and 87.5% on PPIs, diet and budesonide respectively. Endoscopic improvement was noted in 38.4%, 51.4% and 65.4% on PPIs, diet and budesonide respectively. Histological improvement was noted in 43.7%, 62.2% and 88.5% on PPIs, diet and budesonide respectively.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Israeli pediatric EoE patients have characteristics that resemble previous reports. Although there is a correlation between symptoms, endoscopic and histological appearance, we cannot rely on patients reports alone and therefore repeated endoscopy and biopsies are mandated. Topical steroids seems to be the most effective treatment option.