Researchers report a that a major breakthrough has been made as to the cause of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). According to Nature Genetics, eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder associated with allergic hypersensitivity to food.
According to aaaai.org , "the symptoms of EoE vary with age. In infants and toddlers, you may notice that they refuse their food or are not growing properly. School-age children often have recurring abdominal pain, trouble swallowing or vomiting.
Teenagers and adults most often have difficulty swallowing. The esophagus can narrow to the point that food gets stuck. "
What are Eosinophilic Disorders? Click here (link updated 2016)
I received an email today (2014) from FARE News reporting on the EoE research. Read it below:
I received an email today (2014) from FARE News reporting on the EoE research. Read it below:
"Researchers report that they have discovered the cause of eosinophilic eophagitis (EoE), a hard-to-treat food allergy. In EoE, large numbers of white blood cells, known as eosinophils, accumulate in the lining of the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach), causing chronic inflammation.
Led by a team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, investigators have found a new genetic and molecular pathway in the esophagus. This discovery, reported online today in Nature Genetics, opens the door to new therapies for EoE, which has been diagnosed in a growing number of children and adults over the past decade.
The study found that EoE is triggered by the interplay between epithelial cells, which help form the lining of the esophagus, and a gene called CAPN14.
“In a nutshell, we have used cutting-edge genomic analysis of patient DNA, as well as gene and protein analysis, to explain why people develop EoE,” says Marc E. Rothenberg, MD, senior investigator on the study. “This is a major breakthrough for this condition .... Our results are immediately applicable to EoE and have broad implications for understanding eosinophilic disorders as well as allergies in general.”
The study found that EoE is triggered by the interplay between epithelial cells, which help form the lining of the esophagus, and a gene called CAPN14.
“In a nutshell, we have used cutting-edge genomic analysis of patient DNA, as well as gene and protein analysis, to explain why people develop EoE,” says Marc E. Rothenberg, MD, senior investigator on the study. “This is a major breakthrough for this condition .... Our results are immediately applicable to EoE and have broad implications for understanding eosinophilic disorders as well as allergies in general.”
The study was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with additional support from other organizations, including FARE."
For an explanation of EoE, click here.
For the research report published in Nature Genetics click here.
Sources:
FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education)
Nature Genetics
AAAAI
