title: Induction of eosinophilic esophagitis by sublingual pollen immunotherapy.
abstract: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is increasingly investigated and utilized for the treatment of food and pollen allergies. Previous case reports suggested that eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) might develop as a long-term complication in children after completion of oral immunotherapy. Here, we describe a 44-year-old female with a medical history of pollinosis who for the first time in her life developed complete manifestation of EoE (peak eosinophils 164/high power field) 4 weeks after initiation of SLIT using specific soluble allergens (hazelnut, birch, alder) according to previous specific serum IgE testing. After discontinuation of SLIT, EoE resolved completely within 4 weeks without any other medical intervention. During a follow-up of 12 months the patient remained free of any esophageal symptoms. This is the first case report demonstrating a close and therefore likely causative association between pollen SLIT and EoE in an adult patient.
authors.affiliation: Center for Digestive Diseases, Cooperation of Internal Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miehlke
authors.forename: Oral
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Alpan
authors.forename: Sören
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Straumann
keywords: Dysphagia; Eosinophilic esophagitis; Food allergy; Pollen allergy; Sublingual immunotherapy