Pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis in a tertiary center in Taiwan: A cohort study

BACKGROUND: The incidence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) has increased over the last 20 years. We aimed to investigate the clinical symptoms and outcomes of a pediatric cohort with eosinophilic esophagitis in a tertiary center in Northern Taiwan. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We reviewed the records of children diagnosed with EoE at Chang Gung Children's Medical Center Linkou Branch from January 2005 to December 2023. The patients were divided into older (≥10 years of age) and younger (<10 years of age) groups. Their demographics, symptoms, laboratory results, endoscopic findings, treatments, and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-nine children were included in the study (23 and 26 in the older and younger groups, respectively). The estimated prevalence of EoE was 0.58%. The mean ages at onset and diagnosis were 9.5 ± 5.0 and 10.5 ± 5.1 years, respectively. All patients in the older group had abdominal pain, whereas poor appetite and abdominal distention were more common in the younger group. Failure to thrive occurred only in the younger group. Most of the patients (89.8%) received a proton-pump inhibitor as the first-line treatment. Four patients showed a good response to dupilumab. After treatment, 44 patients (89.8%) exhibited symptom improvement. The mean duration of the first treatment was 8.3 ± 7.9 months. CONCLUSIONS: As the first single-center cohort report of pediatric EoE in Taiwan, this study highlights that pediatric GI specialists should keep EoE in mind to reach a timely diagnosis and effective treatment for this emerging disease in Taiwan.