Eosinophilic GI diseases (EGIDs) often overlap with other eosinophil-associated diseases (EADs), which leads to greater health care costs, according to an analysis of the U.S. Optum Clinformatics claims database.
EADs have gained increased attention in recent years. They include eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), eosinophilic asthma, bullous pemphigoid, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, eosinophilic gastritis/gastroenteritis (EG/EGE), and a subset of non–cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. All involve infiltration of eosinophils, but the exact immune mechanisms behind them seem to vary and are poorly understood, according to Justin Kwiatek, PharmD, who presented the results at the annual Digestive Disease Week® (DDW).
"We do know that the suitable course of treatment is dependent on the organs impacted. From this study, we also know that EoE mostly exists on its own, with only a small portion also being diagnosed with asthma, while overlap with other EGIDs tends to be higher. This could be because EoE appears to be pathologically different from other EGIDs in the gastrointestinal tract such as eosinophilic gastritis in the stomach or eosinophilic gastroenteritis in the stomach and small bowel. Eosinophils are not normally present in the esophagus but are often found in the stomach or small bowel without inflammation," said Kwiatek, who is senior global medical affairs leader, respiratory & immunology, at AstraZeneca.
