title: [Clinical features of eosinophilic gastroenteritis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) is an uncommon disease with various gastrointestinal symptoms characterized by eosinophilic infiltration. Its incidence increases recently. We investigated the clinicopathologic features of the patients with EG.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 1970 and July 2003, a total of 28 cases of EG have been reported. By adding 3 cases diagnosed in the Eulji Hospital, we evaluated the 31 cases of EG for the symptoms, laboratory findings, histologic findings, method of treatment, and allergic history.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence increased during 1990s. The predominant site of the eosinophilic infiltration was mucosa in 10 cases, muscularis in 5 cases, and subserosa in 5 cases. The remaining 11 patients had the EG in two sites. The most frequently affected organ was small intestine (12 patients), but there were 12 cases which more than two organs involved. Melena and hematochezia were dominant findings in the patients whose infiltration occurred in mucosa. On the other hand, ascites was a dominant finding in the cases that infiltration occurred in subserosa or involving over 2 layers. There was no difference in eosinophilia, clinical symptoms, and duration between two groups according to the symptom duration for less or more than 30 days. Additionally, seven patients had allergic histories. Peripheral eosinophilia was found in 24 cases. There was no recurrence of EG after the treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our retrospective studies about EG reported in Korea could not clarify whether EG is related to allergy. Recently, the occurrence of EG is increasing and it is frequently involved in young men. The most apparent finding include peripheral eosinophilia. There is no significant clinical feature which is consistent with Klein's classification, though blood loss was more common in mucosal type and ascites was more common in serosal type and in case above two layers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Nam In
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yun Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Mun Hee
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Sung Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae Hun
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Sook
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Woo Youn
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Eom
authors.forename: Soo Woong
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged