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How can an allergist help treat EoE?

How can an allergist help treat EoE?

English Transcript

Allergist Priya Bansal, MD: So let’s learn a little bit about EoE, which we know as eosinophilic esophagitis. And eosinophilic esophagitis is an allergic disease of the esophagus where you start to get inflammation in the esophagus which can lead to changes, and unfortunately, damage inside of the esophagus.

It’s really important for an allergist to be involved in the treatment of EoE. We know that about 70 percent of patients end up having some other type of atopy. Atopy means hey, you might have eczema, you might have allergies, you might have asthma. So there might be something else that your allergist can help you with, as well as managing the EoE.

We also know that this presents differently in many people. Some of the things that your allergist may ask you, especially if you’re an adult, is, “Hey does it take longer for you to eat your meal?” “Is it difficult for you to swallow?” “Is it that that you’re the last person sitting at a table eating a meal because you’re having to chew your food so much slower than everyone else?”

And maybe, if you’re a child, maybe I need to know about, “Hey, do you get a lot of stomach aches?” Is your child constantly saying, “Hey, I don’t want to finish my meal. I can’t eat my meal.”

So we may look for different things in the adult population and the pediatric population, but it all falls under this constellation of EoE. Which your allergist, co-partnering maybe with a gastroenterologist, maybe with a dietitian, maybe with a therapist – if they have some food aversions – that may help to achieve success. And so, come on and see us! We look forward to helping you out!

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