Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) was first described in the 1990s, showing an increasing incidence and prevalence since then, being the leading cause of food impaction and the major cause of dysphagia. Probably, in a few years, EoE may no longer be considered a rare disease.Methods: This article discusses new aspects of the pathogenesis, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of EoE according to the last published guidelines.Results: The epidemiological studies indicate a multifactorial origin for EoE, where environmental and genetic factors take part. EoE affects both children and adults and it is frequently associated with atopic disease and IgE-mediated food allergies. In patients undergoing oral immunotherapy for desensitization from IgE-mediated food allergy the risk of developing EoE is 2.72%. Barrier dysfunction and T-helper 2 inflammation is considered to be pathogenetically important factors. There are different patterns of clinical presentation varying with age and can be masked by adaptation habits. Besides, symptoms do not usually correlate with histologic disease activity. The diagnostic criteria for EoE has evolved but mainly requires symptoms of esophageal dysfunction with histologic evidence of a peak value of at least 15 eosinophils per high-power field. Endoscopies have to be repeated in order to diagnose, monitor, and treat EoE. Treatment of EoE can be started either by drugs (PPIs and topical corticosteroids) or elimination diets. The multistage step-up elimination diet management approach of EoE is promising. Endoscopic dilation is used for patients with severe dysphagia/food impaction with inadequate response to anti-inflammatory treatment.Conclusions: Research in recent years has contributed to a better understanding of EoE's pathogenesis, genetic background, natural history, allergy workup, standardization in assessment of disease activity, evaluation of minimally invasive diagnostic tools, and new therapeutic approaches. However, several unmet needs are to be solved urgently, as finding a non-invasive disease-monitoring methods and biomarkers for routine practice, the development or new therapies, novel food allergy testing to detect triggering foods, drug, and doses required for initial therapy and safety issues with long-term maintenance therapy, amongst others. Besides, multidisciplinary management units of EoE, involving gastroenterologists, pediatricians, allergists, pathologists, dietitians, and ENT specialists are needed.

Histological remission was accomplished in 73% of patients undergoing sIgE-ED, which was nonsignificantly superior to SFED. sIgE effectively identified cow's milk as a food trigger in IgE-sensitized patients.

SUMMARY BackgroundProton pump inhibitor-responsive oesophageal eosinophilia (PPI-REE) is common in patients with suspected eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE). However, the long-term efficacy of PPIs and the best maintenance doses are yet to be defined.

Background: it is necessary to find serological markers accessible in clinical practice to prevent the need to perform repeated endoscopies.Objective: to assess the efficacy of eosinophil activity markers in monitoring eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).Material and methods: thirty patients were included prospectively, all under dietary treatment -diets excluding 6 foods, and allergy test based diet (skin prick test and specific IgE). The variables assessed were demographic parameters, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels (μg/mL), total IgE (KU/L), peripheral blood eosinophils (PBE) (U/mm 3 ), and the maximum peak of eosinophils/hpf in esophageal biopsies. The variation found between these figures was assessed in line with response to dietary treatment.Results: thirty patients (66.7 % males; mean age 33.43 years) were included in the study, 22 responders and 8 non-responders. Ninety percent presented a personal history of atopy. No significant decrease was detected in serum total IgE and ECP after diet in responder and nonresponders. However, the PBE decreased significantly in responders but not in nonresponders, PBE in responders (pre-diet. 397.27 vs. post-diet 276.81, p = 0.024) and non-responders PBE (pre-diet. 460 vs. post-diet 317.5, p = 0.23).Conclusion: serum total IgE and ECP do not act as markers for EoE activity. However PBE may play a role in this regard, bearing in mind that this parameter may be influenced by concomitant atopic conditions.

Our findings support those reported in the literature: the disease is more common in men aged 30-40 years with at least a three-year history of symptoms of esophageal dysfunction, sensitized to pollens, the predominant aeroallergen in our area, but also to plant foods or panallergens. These results increase the evidence for an immunoallergic aetiology and can help us in the early diagnosis of EoE.

No abstract

Work-related asthma includes two subtypes: occupational asthma or asthma caused by specific agents (sensitizers or irritants) in the workplace, and work-exacerbated asthma or pre-existing asthma worsened by workplace exposures. Areas covered: This review provides an update on the definitions and the clinical features of the different work-related asthma subtypes as well as new insights into their etiology and the pathophysiological mechanisms involved. The diagnosis of work-related asthma should be made on objective basis using a constellation of clinical, physiologic and allergologic tests. Specific inhalation challenge with the suspected occupational agent(s) remains as the reference standard for diagnosis. A literature search was performed using the following terms: work-related asthma, occupational asthma, work-exacerbated asthma, irritant-induced asthma and etiological agents. Expert commentary: Studies focusing on the biological effects and mechanisms of environmental exposures in the development of sensitizer-induced or irritant-induced asthma in various workplace settings are of greatest interest. An integrative approach that combines clinical parameters with component-resolved diagnosis as well as inflammatory biomarkers appears to be very promising. Occupational allergy provides a good opportunity to understand the complex relationships between exposure to allergens in the workplace, interaction with genes and the co-exposures to other factors in the working environment.

Background and objective: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an increasingly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus with an immunoallergic etiology. Few studies have been published on EoE in children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to analyze the demographic, clinical, serologic, endoscopic-histologic, and atopic characteristics of pediatric patients with EoE and to identify atopic and digestive comorbidities. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in children and adolescents (<16 years) assessed in a specialized multidisciplinary EoE unit in a tertiary referral hospital in a central region of Spain between 2011 and 2015. Results: Thirty-five patients were included in the study. Twenty-eight (80%) were male. The mean age was 9.6 years, 83% were atopic, and 28% reported a family history of atopy. The most common symptom was dysphagia (51%). Eosinophilia was detected in the blood of 60% of patients. Eosinophil cationic protein and total IgE were elevated in 88% and 77% of patients, respectively. The most frequent endoscopic finding was linear grooves (57%). Skin tests with aeroallergens were positive in 82% of patients (pollen 62% and food 60%). The main atopic comorbidities were asthma (48%) and rhinoconjunctivitis (37%). Digestive diseases were more often associated with gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection (17%). Conclusions: Our results are similar to those previously reported. EoE is more common in boys and in individuals with a history of atopy and sensitization to airborne allergens and food. These results support the consideration of EoE as an atopic disease and underline the important role of allergists in early diagnosis and treatment.