The study was published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.
The most commonly allergenic foods are milk, soy, egg, wheat, peanuts/tree nuts and shellfish/fish.
In EoE, eosinophils and other inflammatory cells cause inflammation of the esophagus in response to an allergic stimulus. EoE is a common cause for dysphagia and heartburn in adults.
“By first eliminating, then systematically reintroducing foods in our adult patients, we were able to identify the speciic food triggers that caused their symptoms, such as heartburn, chest pain and difficulty swallowing, or the sensation of food being stuck in their throat,” said Nirmala Gonsalves, MD, of Northwestern University and the lead author of this study, in the release. “Given the poor sensitivity of skin prick testing and lack of history of food allergy or intolerance, the six-food elimination diet with reintroduction is the only reliable method to date to identify food triggers in adult eosinophilic esophagitis and should allow us to better tailor diet to individual patients for long-term management.”
Related Articles on the American Gastroenterological Association:
AGA Research Foundation Announces 2012 Student Research Fellowship Award Recipients
Three Gastroenterologists Receive AGA Research Foundation 2012 Research Scholar Awards
