Presentation and treatment of eosinophilic gastroenteritis in Busan and Gyeongnam, Korea: A multicenter study

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the patients with eosinophilic gastroenteritis, n (%)

Variable	Total (n = 73)
Age, median (IQR)	52 (35-63)
Female sex	37 (50.7)
Alcohol use	17 (23.3)
Smoker	19 (26.0)
Allergic disease
Allergic rhinitis	6 (7.9)
Atopic dermatitis	3 (3.9)
Asthma	8 (10.5)
Serum IgE, IU/mL, median (IQR)	243 (51-531)
Eosinophils, cells/μL, median (IQR)	209 (111-644)
Food allergy	3 (3.9)
Season at diagnosis
Spring	19 (26.0)
Summer	20 (27.4)
Autumn	17 (23.3)
Winter	17 (23.3)
Urban residence	69 (94.5)
Symptomatic at diagnosis	65 (89.0)
Endoscopic abnormality	60 (82.2)

IQR: Interquartile range; IgE: Immunoglobulin E.

Table 2 Symptoms and endoscopic findings according to gastrointestinal involvement, n (%)

Variable	Gastroduodenitis (n = 34)	Enterocolitis (n = 35)	Gastroenterocolitis (n = 4)
Symptoms
Abdominal pain	14 (33.3)	16 (28.6)	2 (40.0)
Nausea/vomiting	6 (14.3)	3 (5.4)	-
Dyspepsia	5 (11.9)	1 (1.8)	-
Diarrhea	4 (9.5)	26 (46.4)	3 (60.0)
Bloating	4 (9.5)	3 (5.4)	-
Bloody stool	-	5 (8.9)	-
Ascites	1 (2.4)	-	-
Endoscopic findings
Erythema	17 (27.0)	12 (23.5)	2 (25.0)
Edema	13 (20.6)	13 (25.5)	2 (25.0)
Bleeding	2 (3.2)	2 (3.9)	1 (12.5)
Erosion	14 (22.2)	7 (13.7)	1 (12.5)
Ulcer	3 (4.8)	2 (3.9)	1 (12.5)
Nodularity	8 (12.7)	3 (5.9)	1 (12.5)
Pale mucosa	5 (7.9)	-	-

Some patients presented with multiple endoscopic findings.

Table 3 Initial treatment modalities and clinical outcomes of patients with eosinophilic gastroenteritis, n (%)

Variable/outcome	Gastroduodenitis (n = 34)	Enterocolitis (n = 35)	Gastroenterocolitis (n = 4)
Initial treatment type
PPI	9 (26.5)	2 (5.7)	-
Steroid	12 (35.3)	23 (65.7)	3 (75.0)
PPI + steroid	5 (14.7)	1 (2.9)	-
PPI + antihistamines	1 (2.9)	-	-
PPI + steroid + antihistamines	1 (2.9)	-	-
Steroid + antihistamines	-	1 (2.9)	-
Antihistamines	-	1 (2.9)	-
Conservative treatment	6 (17.6)	7 (20.0)	1 (25.0)
Clinical outcomes
Clinical response	27/32 (84.4)	28/31 (90.3)	3/4 (75.0)
Relapse	4/29 (13.8)	13/30 (43.3)	0/4 (0)

The denominator indicates the number of patients with follow-up data after excluding those lost to follow-up. PPI: Proton pump inhibitor.

Table 4 Factors associated with the clinical outcomes of patients with eosinophilic gastroenteritis

Variable	OR	95%CI	P value
Age (years)	1.01	0.95-1.07	0.859
Male sex	12.69	1.25-128.49	0.032
Allergic disease (yes vs no)	2.58	0.24-27.82	0.436
Disease location (reference: Gastroduodenitis)
Enterocolitis	2.81	0.39-19.98	0.303
Gastroenterocolitis	2.53	0.15-42.11	0.518
Steroid use (yes vs no)	1.84	0.30-11.50	0.512
PPI use (yes vs no)	3.33	0.35-31.51	0.295
Endoscopic findings (abnormal vs normal)	0.40	0.03-4.70	0.467

Clinical response, defined as achievement of symptomatic improvement following initial treatment, was used as the dependent variable in the multivariate logistic regression. OR: Odds ratio; CI: Confidence interval; PPI: Proton pump inhibitor.