Esophagus to Small Intestine
Am J Gastroenterol. 2023;118(2):263–8
Eosinophilic gastritis and enteritis are increased in families with eosinophilic esophagitis
Introduction: There are limited data on the familial risk of distal eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). The authors analyzed the risk of eosinophilic gastritis/gastroenteritis (EG/EGE) and eosinophilic colitis (EC) as forms of distal EGIDs using International Disease Classification 9/10 codes in subjects with EoE and their relatives.
Methods: The Utah Population Database is a resource that links genealogy information and medical records in Utah. The authors identified EGIDs in probands and their first-degree (FDRs), second-degree (SDRs), and third-degree (TDRs) relatives in the Utah Population Database. Relative risk and 95% confidence intervals were estimated. All individuals with inflammatory bowel disorder were eliminated to avoid misdiagnosis with EGIDs.
Results: 8455 subjects with EoE, 396 with EG/EGE, and 172 with EC were included. Probands with EoE were at increased risk of EG/EGE and EC. Risks of EG/EGE were increased among FDRs and SDRs of probands with EoE, even without concomitant EoE in the relatives. Increased risk of EG/EGE in FDRs and SDRs was also present for EoE probands without EG/EGE or EC. The authors observed no isolated familial aggregation of EG/EGE after excluding cases with comorbid EoE. EC probands without EoE were at increased risk of EG/EGE, but no evidence of familial risk of EC was observed.
Discussion: The relative risk of eosinophilic gastritis/gastroenteritis (EG/EGE) is significant among relatives of patients with eosinophilic esophagitis, suggesting that shared genetic factors exist among these eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases. EG/EGE and eosinophilic colitis showed limited familial clustering, although sample sizes were small.