” It is an inflammatory disease that affects the esophagus, often caused by food allergens, causing difficulty swallowing and food blockage. “It is a very important factor in treating this condition,” explains Professor Sabine Romain, gastroenterologist at the Civil Nursing Home in Lyon.
” The disease mainly affects young men, with a peak incidence in the 30s, and is most common in men (two men for every woman). The incidence is estimated at about 50 cases per 100,000 population, with a recent increase possibly due to better knowledge of eosinophilic esophagitis. »
food blockages
Concretely how does this disease manifest itself? Patients often experience food blockages, usually meat or bread, that can remain stuck for several hours. These recurring blockages may require a visit to the emergency room, where intervention is sometimes not necessary because the blockage resolves on its own. “Professor Sabine Roman specifies.
” Other symptoms include persistent difficulty swallowing solids and, in some cases, acid reflux or chest pain when swallowing. » Without treatment, eosinophilic esophagitis can become complicated.
” The main risk is that esophagitis leads to fibrosis. The good news is that today there are treatments – therapeutic or nutritional – that allow complete remission of symptoms and inflammation, with a return to a normal esophagus, as long as treatment continues, as the disease becomes chronic. »
How to enhance diagnosis?
Often, patients implement avoidance strategies and actually adapt to their disease, which continues to progress in the absence of treatment. This is what Professor Roman emphasizes.
Patients adapt their diet and lifestyle to avoid obstruction, preferring foods that are easy to swallow and avoiding meals outside the home. »
It is therefore of utmost importance for our specialist to To realize that food obstruction is not normal and requires medical consultation. An endoscopy will be performed to make a diagnosis and possibly implement effective treatment. In fact, although this disease develops insidiously without the patient being aware of it, it requires adequate care to avoid complications and improve the quality of life of patients.. »
Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic disease whose treatment involves monitoring: treatment must be continued over time according to the doctor's recommendations, in order to avoid relapses that appear a few weeks after stopping treatment.
This disease was described recently, in the 1990s, and is the subject of a great deal of research to continue to develop and improve treatment.
Get information
For more information about this disease, a brand new website has recently been put online. You will find a section with 5 questions to ask yourself when considering seeing a doctor.
You will also have access to many resources about the disease, its diagnosis and management, not to mention very practical sections on how to live daily with eosinophilic esophagitis: https://esophagite.fr/
Source: Interview with Professor Sabine Roman, May 2024
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