From esophagus to colon: A narrative review of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders

Table 2 Clinico-pathological comparison of eosinophilic esophagitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease

	Eosinophilic esophagitis	Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Pathophysiology	Chronic immune mediated (Th2) disease of the esophagus	Acid-mediated mucosal injury from reflux of gastric contents
Age/gender	Children and young adults. Male predilection	All age groups, more common in adults. No sex predilection
Associations	Atopy, allergies	Obesity, pregnancy, hiatal hernia
Clinical symptoms	Dysphagia, food impaction	Heartburn, regurgitation
Endoscopic findings	Rings, linear furrows. White exudates, strictures	Erosions, erythema, ulceration, hiatal hernia
Distribution	Patchy; proximal, distal esophagus	Predominantly distal esophagus
Histologic criteria	≥ 15 eosinophils/hpf	< 15 eosinophils/hpf
Esophageal pH	Usually normal	Acid exposure
Treatment	PPI, swallowed corticosteroids, diet	PPI, H2RB, lifestyle modifications
Response to PPI	Variable: Partial or absent	Robust response
Response to dietary intervention	Good	Minimal
Complications	Fibrosis, strictures. Recurrent food impaction	Barrett’s esophagus. Adenocarcinoma

hpf: High power field; PPI: Proton pump inhibitors; H2RB: Histamine-2 receptor blockers.