eosinophilic gastroenteritis


gastroenteritis

 [gas″tro-en″tĕ-ri´tis] inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestine. Psychologic causes may include fear, anger, and other forms of emotional upset. Allergic reactions to certain foods can cause the condition, as can irritation by excessive use of alcohol. Severe gastroenteritis, with such symptoms as headache, nausea, vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, and gas pains, may result from various infectious and contagious diseases, such as typhoid fever, influenza, and food poisoning.eosinophilic gastroenteritis a disorder, commonly associated with intolerance to specific foods, marked by infiltration of the mucosa of the small intestine and frequently the stomach by eosinophils, with edema but without vasculitis and by eosinophilia of the peripheral blood. Symptoms depend on the site and extent of the disorder.

e·o·sin·o·phil·ic gas·tro·en·ter·i·tis

disorder comprising abdominal pain, malabsorption, often obstructive symptoms, associated with peripheral eosinophilia and areas of eosinophilic infiltration of the stomach, small intestine, and colon. May have an allergic etiology and responds to elimination diet in some patients; corticosteroid therapy is also effective. Synonym(s): eosinophilic gastritis

eosinophilic gastroenteritis

A rare (about 300 cases reported in the world literature) heterogeneous condition characterised by abundant eosinophils in the lamina propria, especially of the stomach and less commonly of the small and large intestine.
Aetiology
Idiopathic or associated with allergies (e.g., asthma, atopic eczema, food allergy—usually to milk or soy protein), connective tissue disease (e.g., scleroderma, polymyositis, and dermatomyositis), Crohn’s disease, and parasites (e.g., anisakiasis).
Clinical findings
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, weight loss, abdominal pain (linked to ingestion of specific foods), fever, rebound tenderness, mesenteritis.
Lab
Often with increased eosinophils in peripheral blood.
 
Pathology
Eosinophils in mucosa, fibrosis of muscularis propria with thickening and rigidity with outlet obstruction.
Management
May respond to elimination diet; up to 90% respond to corticosteroids.

e·o·sin·o·phil·ic gas·tro·en·ter·i·tis

Disorder comprising abdominal pain, malabsorption, often obstructive symptoms, associated with peripheral eosinophilia and areas of eosinophilic infiltration of the stomach, small intestine, and colon.