title: Eosinophilic esophagitis: a case report. Effective treatment with systemic corticosteroids for the relapse of the disease.
abstract: We report on a case of eosinophilic esophagitis in a 33-year-old Japanese woman who visited our hospital with dysphagia and esophageal food impaction in April 2006. She had had the same symptoms in May 2005, and, by endoscopic and histologic examination, she was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis. Biopsy specimens from multiple locations in the esophageal mucosa had shown remarkable infiltration of eosinophils, more than 20 eosinophils per high-power field in squamous mucosa, and she had been treated with Th2 cytokine antagonist and proton pump inhibitor at the time. Her symptoms had not improved, but she had received no further medical treatment. In 2006, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed edematous whitish esophageal mucosa, multiple ulcerations with whitish exudates on their surfaces, and white plaques. Biopsy specimens showed the same change as before, and corticosteroid (prednisolone 20 mg/day) was administered orally. After 2 weeks of corticosteroid therapy, her symptom had effectively improved. Endoscopy after 15 weeks of the therapy revealed remarkable improvement, and biopsy specimens from esophageal mucosa revealed the disappearance of the eosinophil infiltrates. We report on a case of eosinophilic esophagitis effectively treated with systemic corticosteroids. Eosinophilic esophagitis has, as yet, no standardized treatment. However, wider recognition of its features on endoscopy may reveal more cases, thereby increasing our understanding of this disease, and will provide new therapeutic possibilities.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, 1-757 Asahimachi, Niigata, 951-8122, Japan. kenya-k@med.niigata-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kenya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinrakuen Hospital, 3-11 Shindoriminami 3 chome Nishiku Niigata, Niigata, 950-2087, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oosaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinrakuen Hospital, 3-11 Shindoriminami 3 chome Nishiku Niigata, Niigata, 950-2087, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugahara
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinrakuen Hospital, 3-11 Shindoriminami 3 chome Nishiku Niigata, Niigata, 950-2087, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shinrakuen Hospital, 3-11 Shindoriminami 3 chome Nishiku Niigata, Niigata, 950-2087, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shinrakuen Hospital, 3-11 Shindoriminami 3 chome Nishiku Niigata, Niigata, 950-2087, Japan.
authors.forename: Kakuhei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
keywords: Corticosteroids; Dysphagia; Endoscopy; Eosinophilic esophagitis; Esophagus