Clinical features and treatment outcomes of eosinophilic gastroenteritis : an analysis of 28 cases.

Background: Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) is uncommon disease, and the pathogenesis of this disease have yet to be fully clarified.

Aim: This study was to describe the clinical manifestations, endoscopic features and treatment outcomes of a cohort of patients with EG.

Method: This retrospective study was included 28 consecutive patients who were diagnosed EG between January 2011 and December 2015 in Taizhou Hospital. The patients' clinical manifestations, endoscopic features and treatment outcomes were reviewed from a prospectively maintained database.

Results: Twenty-eight patients with EG were enrolled in the study (median age 54 years). The main symptoms were abdominal pain (78.6%), abdominal distension (50.0%), nausea and vomiting (28.6%) and diarrhea (25.0%). Laboratory examinations showed the elevation of blood eosinophil count (85.7%), serum IgE (71.4%). Endoscopic findings included small patchy mucosal erythema or erosions (75.0%), mucosal fold thickening (17.9%), submucosal nodules (21.4%), small gastroduodenal ulcers (14.3%). Twenty patients were treated and responded to prednisolone but five patients (25.0%) relapsed during the follow-up. The other 8 patients were treated with loratadine, proton pump inhibitors and dietary modification, 5 patients had clinical resolution during the follow-up. The other 3 patients did not achieve clinical remission, and then were given prednisone treatment.

Conclusion: For some patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and peripheral eosinophilia, a high suspicion of EG is necessary and multiple endoscopic examinations might be helpful in diagnosis of EG. Most patients with EG could achieve remission after with the treatment of steroid or dietary elimination therapy.