Study says food allergies may lead to eosinophilic esophagitis
It's a mouthful to say, but eisinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, is a big concern for allergists studying the long-term effects of childhood allergies.
At the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, a study was presented that seems to show higher risks for childhood allergy sufferers and development of EoE in later life, triggered by the same foods.
Study focuses on people who outgrew allergies
"EoE is characterized by the presence of large numbers of white blood cells called eosinophils in the tissue of the esophagus, which causes inflammation or swelling of the esophagus," explained Jonathan M. Spergel, M.D., Ph.D., FAAAAI, one of the study authors, in a statement. "Foods like dairy products, egg, soy and wheat are main causes of EoE."
The study focused on the frequency of EoE in people with childhood allergies who eventually grew out of them. The study comprised 1,025 children with EoE between 2000 and 2012. Of those, 425 had a food-specified diagnosis.
Of those patients, 17 had developed EoE to a food after having outgrown an allergy to that same food. The most common were milk, egg, wheat and soy.
Abstracts of the study, from the AAAAI meeting, can be found on their website.
Related Reading on PeanutAllergy.com
Sign up for our newsletter and receive a free peanut-free snack guide.
Stay on top of your allergy with recipes, lifestyle tips and more.