Eosinophilic oesophagitis (EO), an isolated eosinophilic inflammation of the oesophagus, is the most common of the eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders. EO is of increasing clinical significance in many developed countries,1 in parallel with the recent increase in food allergic disorders. A retrospective study of Western Australian children reported a dramatic rise in prevalence of EO (from 0.05 cases per 10 000 children in 1995 to 0.89 cases per 10 000 children in 2004) (Level III-2).2 The estimated prevalence in the US population aged 0–19 years is even higher, at 4.3 cases per 10 000 individuals.3
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1 Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW.
- 2 Department of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC.
- 1. Furuta GT, Straumann A. Review article: the pathogenesis and management of eosinophilic oesophagitis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2006; 24: 173-182.
- 2. Cherian S, Smith NM, Forbes DA. Rapidly increasing prevalence of eosinophilic oesophagitis in Western Australia. Arch Dis Child 2006 Jul 28; [Epub ahead of print].
- 3. Spergel JM, Andrews T, Brown-Whitehorn RF, et al. Treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis with specific food elimination diet directed by a combination of skin prick and patch tests. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2005; 95: 336-343.