Impact of gender, race, and age of onset on the phenotype and comorbidities of pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate differences in symptoms, allergy comorbidities, and eosinophilic inflammation at the time of diagnosis for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) based on gender, race, and age of onset.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted at a multidisciplinary EoE clinic; the correlation between histological findings, previously identified symptoms, associated comorbidities, and demographics including gender, race, as well as age of onset was examined. Chi‐squared and Student's T‐tests were utilized for statistical analysis.ResultsA total of 91 patients were enrolled in this study, with 70% being male and 67% identifying as White. Among the patients, 45% had an early onset of EoE (defined as ≤6 years old). We revealed that White patients and females were significantly more likely to report dysphagia, while non‐White patients experienced significantly more vomiting symptoms and had a higher prevalence of asthma as a comorbidity. Early‐onset patients exhibited a significantly higher rate of vomiting and had elevated eosinophilic counts compared to patients with EoE onset at a regular age. We also revealed that abdominal pain is associated with a lower average proximal eosinophilic counts.ConclusionsOur study revealed the significant impact of gender, race, and age of onset on the phenotype and comorbidities of EoE, suggesting these factors should be considered when caring for these patients.