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Eosinophilic oesophagitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterised by eosinophilic inflammation of the oesophagus and sometimes scarring, and is associated with difficulty swallowing, dyspepsia and choking. Since spontaneous resolution is rare, therapeutic options have centred around use of medication or dietary manipulation. First described in the mid‐1990s, the condition is now recognised to affect about 42 per 100 000 of the adult population and 34 per 100 000 of the paediatric population.

These data may be an underestimate of the true prevalence of eosinophilic oesophagitis due to the diagnosis requiring oesophageal biopsies and a high index of suspicion. Up to 12–23% of patients undergoing endoscopy for dysphagia and 50% of those presenting with food bolus obstruction have eosinophilic oesophagitis as the cause of their symptoms. The prevalence of eosinophilic oesophagitis has steadily (and in some populations exponentially) increased, and although prevalence data from Australia are lacking, anecdotally a similar phenomenon has been observed.

This MJA perspective shares more.

Learning Outcomes

1. Explain key components of the perspective
2. List main findings
3. Recognise the need for multidisciplinary eosinophilic oesophagitis models to enhance research capabilities.

Details

Author: Jessica Fitzpatrick, Sarah L Melton and Rebecca E Burgell

Article Type: Perspective