What are the typical symptoms of EoE?
The hallmark symptom of EoE in adults is difficulty swallowing, which can even lead to food becoming stuck in the throat. This symptom often drives patients to develop strategies to avoid this discomfort, such as eating very slowly, washing down food with lots of liquids, avoiding solid and dry foods, and rarely going out to eat. EoE must be taken very seriously as it is a chronic disease and progresses if left untreated, increasingly impacting the proper function of the esophagus. This can lead to a food bolus becoming lodged in the throat, which sometimes requires an emergency endoscopy to remove the stuck food.

How is EoE diagnosed?
Gastroenterologists are required to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis. They review the patient’s reported symptoms and perform an endoscopy, a procedure where a flexible tube with an attached camera is inserted into the esophagus to investigate tissue changes that are associated with the disease. During this procedure, tissue samples (biopsies) can also be collected to confirm EoE diagnosis by an elevated number of eosinophils.

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What treatments are available for EoE?
There are currently three different treatment options for EoE: medications (e.g. topical corticosteroids, proton pump inhibitors, or - in case conventional therapy fails - immunomodulatory treatment), diets which eliminate certain food allergens, and a surgical procedure, a so-called dilation, to widen the esophagus during an endoscopy. 

Why is EoE classified as a rare disease?
Across Europe, there are less than 50 cases of EoE per 100,000 individuals, which classifies it as a rare disease. Although the disease can start at any age, the majority of patients are diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 50. About 80% of EoE patients are male. 

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a relatively “recent” disease, having only been first reported as a unique condition in 1993. It has received growing attention by the medical field since the 2000s and is now thought to be the second-most common esophageal disease following reflux disease. Nonetheless, EoE is often overlooked in patients with esophageal symptoms or misdiagnosed as another esophageal disorder. These hurdles can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, increasing patients’ suffering and allowing the disease to progress.