title: Is there a seasonal variation in the incidence or intensity of allergic eosinophilic esophagitis in newly diagnosed children?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Allergic eosinophilic esophagitis (AEE) is thought to be an allergic reaction that is characterized by inflammation caused by predominant accumulation of eosinophils in esophageal mucosa (> or =15 eosinophils per high power field).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the seasonal distribution of newly diagnosed AEE children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of all patients diagnosed with AEE at our institution over a nearly 6-year period (December 1998 to October 2004).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred thirty-four children (mean age 7.3 y, median age 7.0 y, age range 0.2 to 19.5 y) were diagnosed with AEE during the study period. Significantly fewer patients were diagnosed with AEE in Winter as compared with Spring, Summer, and Fall. Although all the patients had severe eosinophilic esophagitis, the intensity of esophageal eosinophilia was less in Winter than in Summer or Fall, but not Spring, seasons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A seasonal variation was noted with Winter, a season of low outdoor allergens, having the fewest number of newly diagnosed AEE patients.
authors: Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
authors: Flint Y
authors: FY
authors: Wang
authors: Sandeep K
authors: SK
authors: Gupta
authors: Joseph F
authors: JF
authors: Fitzgerald
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007196:Indiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D012720:Severity of Illness Index