[Clinical features of eosinophilic gastroenteritis].
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.
Kim
Nam In
NI
Department of Internal Medicine, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jo
Yun Ju
YJ
Song
Mun Hee
MH
Kim
Sung Hwan
SH
Kim
Tae Hun
TH
Park
Young Sook
YS
Eom
Woo Youn
WY
Kim
Soo Woong
SW
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