title: Lymphocytic esophagitis: a diagnosis of increasing frequency.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite being found with increasing frequency on esophageal biopsies, the clinical significance of lymphocytic esophagitis (LE) remains poorly understood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The primary aim of our study was to characterize the clinical presentation and natural history of LE among adult patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed records for all 81 adult patients at the University of Michigan Medical Center who had a histopathologic diagnosis of LE between January 1998 and November 2009. Patient demographics, clinical history, laboratory data, and imaging results from the time of diagnosis were obtained through review of computerized medical records. A telephone survey was conducted to collect natural history data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of LE diagnoses increased over time, with 81.5% (n=66) of patients being diagnosed in the last 3 years. The most frequent symptoms at the time of presentation were dysphagia (n=54), chest/abdominal pain (n=36), and heartburn (n=38). The majority (58.6%) of patients reported improvement in their initial gastrointestinal symptoms-most commonly associated with initiation of a proton pump inhibitor. Upon follow-up, most patients reported a good quality of life and satisfaction with their current health status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LE is a new clinical entity with an increasing incidence. LE seems to have a benign natural history, with most patients reporting an improvement in symptoms and satisfaction with their health-related quality of life. Prospective studies are needed to better characterize the natural history and potential treatments for this clinical entity.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors: Shirley
authors: S
authors: Cohen
authors: Aditi
authors: A
authors: Saxena
authors: Akbar K
authors: AK
authors: Waljee
authors: Cyrus
authors: C
authors: Piraka
authors: Julianne
authors: J
authors: Purdy
authors: Henry
authors: H
authors: Appelman
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: McKenna
authors: B Joseph
authors: BJ
authors: Elmunzer
authors: Amit G
authors: AG
authors: Singal
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006304:Health Status; D006356:Heartburn / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000150:complications; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D008214:Lymphocytes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha