What's new in the diagnosis and therapy of eosinophilic esophagitis?
OBJECTIVE
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a relatively new chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus. Novel aspects in the diagnosis and treatment of EoE are discussed in this review.


RESULTS
Development of diagnostic guidelines consisting of symptoms as well as endoscopic and histopathologic criteria has improved the awareness of clinicians and the diagnosing of EoE. The clinically challenging discrimination of EoE from gastroesophageal reflux disease has become more obvious and has evoked the need for more individualized therapy options. Today, most patients with EoE can be treated successfully with topical corticosteroids. However, no convincing alternative treatment strategies exist for corticosteroid-refractory or corticosteroid-dependent patients. Interestingly, a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the eotaxin-3 gene has been linked to increased disease susceptibility for EoE.


CONCLUSIONS
EoE is an emerging esophageal disease. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of this disorder would improve the clinical recognition and diagnostic ability and ultimately provide patients with more optimal treatment options.
Straumann
Alex
A
Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland. alex.straumann@hin.ch
Hruz
Petr
P
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D050782:Esophageal pH Monitoring; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D004945:Esophagoscopy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal