Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Sep;103(9):2194-9.
doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2008.01989.x. Epub 2008 Jul 12.

3-yr-follow-up of topical corticosteroid treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis in adults

Emelie F Helou  1 , Julie Simonson, Amindra S Arora
Affiliations

3-yr-follow-up of topical corticosteroid treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis in adults

Emelie F Helou et al. Am J Gastroenterol. 2008 Sep.

Erratum in

  • Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Oct;105(10):2308

Abstract

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is a clinicopathologic syndrome comprising isolated eosinophilic inflammation of the esophagus, with symptoms of dysphagia, and possibly, reflux. It was initially described in children, and in recent years, there is a heightened awareness in adults. The etiology is not completely understood. The treatments include dietary manipulation, topical corticosteroids, systemic corticosteroids, Montelukast, and endoscopic dilation. In adults, there are no randomized trials demonstrating the efficacy of any particular treatment, and no prospective studies describing the natural history of the disease following treatment.

Methods: We performed an interval follow-up of patients treated with a swallowed corticosteroid inhaler. We contacted 51 adult patients who were diagnosed with EE and treated with a swallowed corticosteroid inhaler between September 1, 1999, and May 31, 2003. All patients had received 6 wk of treatment with fluticasone 220 mEq/puff, four puffs swallowed twice daily for 6 wk.

Results: Thirty-two patients replied (63%) with a mean follow-up duration of 3.3 yr. Ninety-one percent of patients reported recurrent symptoms; a mean of 8.8 months after treatment was completed. Sixty-nine percent of patients repeated treatment with the steroid inhaler at least once.

Conclusions: It appears that EE is a chronic remitting disorder that requires more than one topical steroid treatment course.

PubMed Disclaimer

MeSH terms