Incidence and Prevalence of Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Utah Based on a 5-Year Population-Based Study

Background & Aims: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is often detected in children and is considered to be a rare disease, with prevalence values reported to be below 60 cases per 100,000 persons. To determine whether the incidence of EoE in children in Utah exceeds estimates from regional reports, we calculated incidence and prevalence values over a 5-year period.

Methods: Using consensus guidelines for the diagnosis of EoE, we reviewed pathology records from the Intermountain Healthcare pathology database, from July 1, 2011 through June 31, 2016. We collected data on 10,619 pediatric patients with available esophageal biopsy results, and identified cases of esophageal eosinophilia (>14 eosinophils in a high-power microscopy field in an endoscopic biopsy). An EoE case required the presence of esophageal eosinophilia, symptoms of esophageal dysfunction, and the absence of co-morbid conditions that may cause esophageal eosinophilia. Annual pediatric EoE incidence and prevalence values were calculated per 100,000 children, based on averaged pediatric population estimates from census figures of Utah in 2010 and 2016.

Results: We identified 1281 unique pediatric patients who met criteria for esophageal eosinophilia. Of those, 1060 patients met criteria for newly diagnosed EoE. Over the 5-year period studied, the average annual pediatric EoE incidence in Utah was 24 cases per 100,000 children. The prevalence in year 5 of the study was 118 cases per 100,000 children.

Conclusion: In a population-based study of children in Utah, we found the incidence and prevalence of pediatric EoE to be higher than previously reported. This could be due to the prominence of EoE risk factors in this region, as well as Utah's searchable medical record system that allows for reliable case ascertainment. Further studies of this type could increase disease awareness, prompting early referral to pediatric gastroenterologists and trials to strengthen evidence-based, algorithmic approaches to EoE diagnosis and treatment in children.