Can Eosinophilic Esophagitis Cause Achalasia and Other Esophageal Motility Disorders?

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases - Pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) are divided into eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE), depending on the involved gastrointestinal tract, though both are considered to be chronic Th2-type allergic diseases caused by food or environmental allergens. In development of EoE, refluxed gastric acid may also have an important role. For diagnosis of EGIDs, the presence of symptoms possibly originating from the involved gastrointestinal tract and dense eosinophil infiltration are important factors. Imaging studies, including endoscopy and computed tomography, along with histopathological examinations of biopsy specimens are useful for diagnosis, whereas laboratory testing of blood, urine, and stool samples has limited value. Three useful options for treating EoE patients are acid inhibitors, swallowed topical corticosteroids, and an elimination diet, while systemic administration of glucocorticoids is the standard treatment of EGE, though information is limited. Since the prevalence of EGIDs is increasing in Western countries as well as Japan, development of effective treatments based on sufficient evidence is becoming an urgent need.

Recent advances in dysphagia management

The literal definition of dysphagia is "disturbed eating". However, it is more accurately described in clinical practice as a sensation of food or liquid being stuck in the esophagus or chest. If this sensation is associated with pain, it is labeled odynophagia, and if it is associated with persistent obstruction and bolus retention, it is categorized as a food impaction. Through research and technological advances, we continue to expand our understanding of the etiologies and underlying pathophysiology relating to this complaint. However, for now, our clinical algorithms focus on endoscopy and manometry to break down dysphagia into three categories: obstructive dysphagia, esophageal motility disorders, and functional dysphagia. Here, we review some critical pitfalls in our current clinical diagnoses, new proposed underlying mechanisms of esophageal motor disorders, and developing technologies to aid in diagnosis and treatment.

[Emerging Issues in Esophageal Motility Diseases]

With the advances in technology and medical knowledge, new diseases are being identified and investigated. Esophageal motility disorders have been re-defined using high-resolution manometry and their pathogenesis are being better understood. The use of opioid analgesics is increasing worldwide, particularly in the United States, but their chronic use can cause opioid-induced esophageal dysfunction, which mimics spastic motor disorders, including achalasia type 3 or 2 and esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction. Eosinophilic esophagitis is identified by eosinophilic infiltration confirmed on a pathological examination. The condition is often associated with esophageal motility abnormalities. On the other hand, recent studies have suggested that muscle-predominant eosinophilic infiltration, eosinophilic esophageal myositis, might manifest as spastic motor disorders, including achalasia or jackhammer esophagus. Lymphocytic esophagitis is an unusual esophageal condition, which is confirmed by the increased number of lymphocytes in the esophageal epithelium. Although several reports have supported the existence of lymphocytic esophagitis, it is still unclear whether lymphocytic esophagitis is a distinct disease entity or another spectrum of other esophageal diseases, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease or eosinophilic esophagitis. This review presents evidence and reports on the emerging issues in esophageal motility disorders, including opioid-induced esophageal dysfunction, eosinophilic esophagitis with eosinophilic esophageal myositis, and lymphocytic esophagitis.

Eosinophilic esophagitis: novel concepts regarding pathogenesis and clinical manifestations

This report explores two hypotheses regarding eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE): (1) that the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) might contribute to the pathogenesis of EoE by preventing peptic digestion of food allergens, by increasing gastric mucosal permeability to enable gastric absorption of those undegraded food allergens, and by causing microbial dysbiosis, and (2) that EoE, like eosinophilic gastroenteritis, might have mucosal-predominant and muscle-predominant forms, and that the muscle-predominant form of EoE might cause a variety of esophageal motility disorders including achalasia.