View clinical trials related to Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
Filter by:Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) is a disorder in which a type of white blood cell (eosinophil) involved in allergic reactions, enter and cover the walls of the esophagus (food pipe). As a result, the esophagus becomes swollen and blocked making it difficult to swallow, and this leads to heartburn. In severe cases it can lead to food getting stuck in the esophagus and poor growth or weight loss in children The main purpose of this research study is to compare the effectiveness of two different types of treatment for EoE: 1. Oral viscous budesonide- which is a steroid medication that has been used to treat asthma. Recently, it has been used as a therapy to treat the eosinophilic inflammation in EoE, and 2. Specific food elimination. The study will also be looking to see if a blood test is useful in following the progression of EoE. Currently the only way to follow EoE is by repeating endoscopy, which is a more "invasive test."
Background: - Eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders (EGID) are a group of related disorders that affect the esophagus, stomach, and bowel. There are two major types of EGID, eosinophilic esophagitis and eosinophilic gastroenteritis. They are caused by the body's immune system being activated by food allergens, which then damages the gut wall. People with EGID have large numbers of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) in their gut. EGID can cause difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, or nausea. - At present, there are no drugs specifically approved to treat EGID. Most adults who have EGID receive steroid therapy to manage the symptoms. However, long-term steroid use may cause other problems in the body. Researchers want to see if low-dose sirolimus can be used to treat EGID. Sirolimus is a drug used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs. It may be able to keep the body's immune cells from being activated by food allergens and decrease the eosinophils. Objectives: - To see if low dose sirolimus is safe and decreases blood or gut eosinophils in EGID. Eligibility: - Individuals between 18 to 65 years of age who have EGID. - Participants must also have an elevated blood eosinophil count and positive blood tests for IgE antibodies to foods. Design: - Participants who are on medicine for EGID or related symptoms must be on a stable dose for 1 month before screening and stay on that dose throughout the study. - Participants will be screened with a medical history and physical exam, and review their symptoms. They will provide blood and urine samples. They will also have heart and lung function tests. Some participants may have allergy skin tests. - At the first study visit, participants will have 2 days of inpatient tests. They will repeat the tests from the screening visit. They will also have a full analysis of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. On the second day, they will start to take sirolimus as a liquid with orange juice or water. - Participants will continue to take sirolimus at home. They will record their doses and any symptoms. They will also have a visit to provide blood samples about 2 weeks after the first study visit. - At the second study visit (about a month after the first visit), participants will repeat the tests from the screening visit. The sirolimus dose may be adjusted as needed. - Participants will take sirolimus for at least another 28 days. Depending on the dose of the drug and the blood test results, some participants may need to take it for up to 112 days. Those who take the drug for a longer period will have additional study visits with tests. - There will be another study visit when participants stop taking the drug. The last visit will be a final follow-up visit.
This study is being done to collect data on the potential use of the cytosponge as non-invasive tool in evaluating patients with eosinophilic esophagitis.
Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE) is a condition where eosinophils (a cell that fights infection) travel to the esophagus (the tube through which food passes to the stomach). These cells do not belong there and can cause pain, soreness, difficulty swallowing and sometimes vomiting. Ways to treat this condition include medicine, not eating some foods, and drinking a specific formula (like milk) without eating any other foods. Doing these things can help fight off EE but these problems can come back when treatment is stopped. If EE symptoms go on for a long time, it can lead to the esophagus becoming narrow and feeling tight when eating and swallowing and surgery may be needed to widen the narrowed area to relieve the sensation of tightening. Montelukast is a medicine that fights off a type of chemical that can be a magnet for eosinophils. People usually take this medicine to help treat their asthma. It is not approved to treat EE. This medication is taken once a day. The purpose of this study is to see if Montelukast, compared to placebo, will help reduce the number of eosinophils in children with EE and help stop the tightening of the esophagus.
Background: Up to 40% of patients who are treated with PPIs for symptoms that are thought to be due to GERD experience only incomplete relief of their symptoms. Those patients are deemed "PPI failures." Esophageal pH monitoring studies have shown that PPI failure rarely is due to persistent acid reflux. Recently, heartburn that is refractory to treatment with PPIs has been described in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis, a disorder of unknown etiology in which eosinophils infiltrate the squamous epithelium of the esophagus, where they cause symptoms and tissue injury. Presently, it is not clear how often eosinophilic esophagitis underlies PPI failure for patients with GERD symptoms. Purpose: To estimate the frequency with which eosinophilic esophagitis is the cause of "PPI failure" in patients thought to have heartburn due to GERD. Methods: Patients referred to the Division of Gastroenterology at the Dallas VA Medical Center for the evaluation of heartburn that is refractory to PPI therapy will be invited to participate in the study. Patients who provide informed consent will have a medical history taken. Women of child bearing potential will have a pregnancy test. The patients' current PPI therapy will be discontinued, and patients will be treated with lansoprazole 30 mg BID for one week. The patient will return to the clinic one week later. Patients who feel that their heartburn has not improved by more than 50% from baseline will have an endoscopic evaluation. During the endoscopic examination, biopsy specimens will be taken as follows: A. Two specimens from the proximal esophagus at 20 cm from the incisor teeth. B. Two specimens from the mid-esophagus at 28 cm from the incisor teeth. C. Two specimens from the distal esophagus, 3 cm above the squamo-columnar junction. D. Two specimens from the distal esophagus, 1 cm above the squamo-columnar junction. E. Two specimens from the second portion of the duodenum (to see if the eosinophilia is confined to the esophagus, or part of a more extensive eosinophilic gastroenteritis). A diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis will be made if there is at least one high-power field with >25 eosinophils, or two or more high-power fields with >15 eosinophils. Potential Benefits: This study will provide an estimate on the frequency with which eosinophilic esophagitis is the cause of "PPI failure" in patients thought to have heartburn due to GERD. This has substantial potential importance for patient management.
Background: - Food allergies are characterized by abnormal immune system responses to certain foods, such as peanuts, strawberries, and shellfish. Some individuals with these allergies have immediate allergic reactions on contact with the food in question and need immediate treatment to prevent severe complications. In contrast, eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders are related disorders in which white blood cells in the intestinal tract react to certain foods, causing abdominal pain, nausea, and other digestion problems. Researchers are interested in studying these conditions to better understand how the immune system responds to food allergies. Objectives: - To examine how the immune system responds to food allergens. - To examine how certain white blood cells contribute to disease in individuals with food allergies and other inflammatory diseases. Eligibility: - Individuals between 18 and 65 years of age who have a history of (a) severe allergic reaction to peanuts (and have peanut-specific antibodies), (b) allergy or inflammatory disease, or (c) eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorder (with at least two documented food allergies). - Healthy volunteers between 18 and 65 years of age who have no known allergies or asthma. Design: - All participants will have a screening visit and a procedure visit. The procedure visit will take place within 30 to 60 days of the screening visit, and will take 3 to 4 hours depending on the procedure(s) done. - Participants will be screened with a physical examination and medical history, and will provide blood samples for testing. Participants with peanut or other allergies will have additional tests to determine their levels of sensitivity to certain foods. Participants with eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorder will provide stool samples for testing. - At the procedure visit, participants with peanut allergies and participants with other allergies will provide blood samples and have leukapherisis to collect white blood cells for examination. - At the procedure visit, healthy volunteers and participants with eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorder will provide blood samples and have leukapherisis to collect white blood cells for examination. In addition, some but not all of these participants will have a procedure called esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), which will examine the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. Participants who are scheduled to have EGD will be asked to fast for 6 hours before the procedure.