Clinical spectrum of paediatric and adult eosinophilic oesophagitis in the North East of England from 2016 to 2019

Background and study aims: Eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) is a common disease with a significant impact on physical health and quality of life (QoL). Outcomes and management vary widely, with no agreed UK national guideline. This paper aims to describe an up-to-date description of demographics, clinical spectrum and outcomes for paediatric and adult patients with EoE from the North East of England between 2016 and 2019.

Patients and methods: Patients from two large University Hospitals and the specialist paediatric hospital for the North East of England with histologically or clinically confirmed EoE were included in this analysis. Data were collected retrospectively via electronic patient records. Remission was defined as either the resolution of symptoms or improvement on histology.

Results: Data were collected on 74 paediatric and 59 adult patients. Dysphagia was the most common presenting symptom in both groups, accounting for 51%-84% of all presentations. Proton pump inhibitors and dietary manipulation were the most common therapies associated with remission in children (95% of those achieving remission), whereas the use of swallowed topical steroids was more prevalent in the treatment of adults (55% achieving remission).

Conclusions: EoE is a complex disease and poses significant challenges. Outcomes vary widely and need to be tailored to individual patient groups. Dietary manipulation plays a major role in treatment for EoE, but this is likely to be challenging for patients, especially children. Future work should continue to assess the outcomes in EoE, including on QoL and potential novel targeted therapies.