چکیده (انگلیسی):

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is related to allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma (BA),
atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to examine the eosinophil infiltration in
the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract in patients with BA using esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
Methods: Patients with BA who had upper GI tract symptoms were enrolled. Patients who received
systemically administered steroids were excluded. Eosinophil infiltrations in the esophagus, stomach,
and duodenum were examined with regard to the endoscopic findings and pathological findings of biopsy
specimens (UMIN000010132).
Results: Ninety patients were enrolled from October in 2012 to September in 2014. Thirty-six were male,
54 were female, and the mean age was 57.5 years. Eighty-one (90%) used inhaled corticosteroids.
Fourteen patients (15.6%) had reflux esophagitis, 8 of whom had grade A and 6 had grade B. No patient
with EoE was observed. One female patient who had marked eosinophil infiltration in the esophagus,
stomach, and duodenum was diagnosed as having eosinophilic gastroenteritis, but endoscopy showed
only mucosal edema in the antrum. Another female patient who had marked eosinophil infiltration in
the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum was diagnosed as having eosinophilic granulomatosis with
polyangiitis, and endoscopy showed erosions in the antrum and the duodenum. Three patients had
eosinophil infiltration in the stomach, but none of them had severe symptoms.
Conclusions: Patients with asthma who had upper gastrointestinal symptoms rarely had eosinophilic
gastrointestinal disorders. Biopsy specimens are of high importance in the diagnosis of eosinophilic
gastrointestinal disorders even if there is no remarkable endoscopic finding.