title: Familial dysphagia and eosinophilia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent reports suggest a familial predisposition to eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) and a link between Schatzki's rings and EE.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective is to present our experience with 7 families with dysphagia and eosinophilia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-thousand-bed community-based teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients from 7 families with dysphagia and eosinophilia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Direct clinical and endoscopic examination with review of radiologic and pathologic data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve patients had EE alone, one had eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) alone, one had EE and EG, and 3 geriatric patients had Schatzki's rings (one with EG and peripheral eosinophilia [PE] and one with PE). EE spanned 2 generations in 4 families and involved 2 brothers in one family.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This was a case series.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose a familial dysphagia syndrome characterized by eosinophilia in the form of EE, EG, or PE and Schatzki's rings in older generations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan 48073, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Zink
authors.forename: Mitual
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.forename: Souheil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gebara
authors.forename: Tusar K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Desai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001037:Aphasia / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013577:Syndrome