What symptoms can Eosinophilic Esophagitis cause?
There are a few different symptoms that people with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) may experience, and they vary depending upon age. Symptoms are listed in Table 1.
| Age | Symptoms | Potential Eating Behaviors |
|---|---|---|
|
Infants and toddlers |
Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, refusing food, poor growth |
Longer mealtime than siblings, grazes on small bits of food, preference for liquids and soft foods, pockets food in cheek or spits out, dips food in liquid, difficulty moving from pureed to solid food, feeding refusal |
|
School-aged children |
Recurring abdominal pain or vomiting |
Mealtimes longer than friends, lunchbox full after school, uses large amounts of sauces or liquids with meals, prolonged chewing, difficulty expanding diet to new flavors or textures |
|
Adolescents and adults |
Difficulty swallowing, heartburn, reflux or regurgitation |
Avoids social dining, requires water bottle or liquids with meals, prefers soft-textured foods, avoidances of textures like meat, bread, rice, raw fruits, and vegetables |
Table 1: Signs and symptoms of EoE at different ages.
The differences in symptoms can be important to keep in mind since the typical age of diagnosis for EoE is from 5 to 10 years in children and then again from 30 to 50 years in adults.
The longer a person has untreated EoE and inflammation, the greater the chance of developing areas in the esophagus that narrow into structures called strictures. Strictures can additionally cause food to get stuck in the esophagus and require immediate medical help.
References
- Khan S, Guo X, Liu R, et al. An update on eosinophilic esophagitis: Etiological factors, coexisting diseases, and complications. Digestion. 2021;102:342-356. doi:10.1159/000508191
- Hirano I, Furuta GT. Approaches and challenges to management of pediatric and adult patients with eosinophilic esophagitis. Gastroenterol. 2020;158(4):840-851. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2019.09.052
- Mayo Clinic. Eosinophilic esophagitis. Accessed August 18, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eosinophilic-esophagitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20372197
