title: Understanding eosinophilic esophagitis: the cellular and molecular mechanisms of an emerging disease.
abstract: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) has been increasingly recognized as a unique clinicopathological entity over the past two decades. In this short time, the mechanisms of a complex disease have begun to emerge. Patient studies suggest that EoE is an immunologic disease related to atopy. At the cellular level, eosinophils, mast cells, and B and T lymphocytes are increased in the esophageal mucosa in a patchy distribution throughout the length of the esophagus. Laboratory investigations have implicated aeroallergens, food allergens, and a unique T helper type 2 cytokine profile. EoE appears to be an antigen-driven hypersensitivity reaction characterized by a mixed IgE-dependent/delayed-type reaction and a distinct cascade of cytokines and growth factors. The causative events that lead to EoE in humans remain unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Justinich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells; D057765:Eosinophilic Esophagitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy