A Patient with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis Presenting with Severe Abdominal Pain

Abstract

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the stomach and intestine. It is a rare disorder with bizarre presentations, making it difficult to diagnose and often leading to misdiagnoses. It can present with abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, obstruction, ascites etc. Here we report a case of a middle aged female who presented with severe abdominal pain and was initially suspected a case of acute pancreatitis. She received conservative management, but symptoms did not improve. This led to further evaluation, which revealed peripheral blood eosinophilia. Although the mucosa appeared normal on esophagogastroduodenoscopy, biopsy from multiple sites revealed eosinophilic infiltration in the gastric and duodenal lamina propria. The patient was then successfully treated with oral steroid. Due to its varied presentations, Eosinophilic gastroenteritis should be considered as the differential diagnosis in different abdominal presentations.