Eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoO) is a chronic disease.[164]Straumann A, Spichtin HP, Grize L, et al. Natural history of primary eosinophilic esophagitis: a follow-up of 30 adult patients for up to 11.5 years. Gastroenterology. 2003 Dec;125(6):1660-9.
http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(03)01515-4/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14724818?tool=bestpractice.com
However, the prognosis is good. The majority of patients have a good response to either pharmacological or dietary elimination therapy. If strictures or oesophageal narrowing develop, these can be effectively treated with oesophageal dilation.
Approximately one third of patients may be refractory to standard treatments and these patients can be very difficult to treat; often they are referred to clinical trials.[27]Dellon ES, Liacouras CA. Advances in clinical management of eosinophilic esophagitis. Gastroenterology. 2014 Dec;147(6):1238-54.
https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(14)00980-9/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25109885?tool=bestpractice.com
Symptoms usually recur when treatment is stopped.[3]Dellon ES, Muir AB, Katzka DA, et al. ACG clinical guideline: diagnosis and management of eosinophilic esophagitis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2025 Jan 1;120(1):31-59.
https://journals.lww.com/ajg/fulltext/2025/01000/acg_clinical_guideline__diagnosis_and_management.16.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39745304?tool=bestpractice.com
Patients who remain symptomatic despite achieving histological and endoscopic remission should be considered for further evaluation for potential oesophageal motility disorders.[85]Reddy CA, McGowan E, Yadlapati R, et al. AGA clinical practice update on esophageal dysfunction due to disordered immunity and infection: expert review. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 Dec;22(12):2378-87.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542356524008267
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39436337?tool=bestpractice.com
[172]Reddy CA, Allen-Brady K, Uchida AM, et al. Achalasia is strongly associated with eosinophilic esophagitis and other allergic disorders. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 Jan;22(1):34-41.e2.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10753026
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37391057?tool=bestpractice.com
[173]Spechler SJ, Konda V, Souza R. Can eosinophilic esophagitis cause achalasia and other esophageal motility disorders? Am J Gastroenterol. 2018 Nov;113(11):1594-9.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30315308?tool=bestpractice.com
Natural history
The natural history of EoO suggests that, in some patients, chronic eosinophilic inflammation can lead to fibrostenotic remodelling.[3]Dellon ES, Muir AB, Katzka DA, et al. ACG clinical guideline: diagnosis and management of eosinophilic esophagitis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2025 Jan 1;120(1):31-59.
https://journals.lww.com/ajg/fulltext/2025/01000/acg_clinical_guideline__diagnosis_and_management.16.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39745304?tool=bestpractice.com
[4]Lipka S, Kumar A, Richter JE. Impact of diagnostic delay and other risk factors on eosinophilic esophagitis phenotype and esophageal diameter. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2016 Feb;50(2):134-40.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25710524?tool=bestpractice.com
[5]Schoepfer AM, Safroneeva E, Bussmann C, et al. Delay in diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis increases risk for stricture formation in a time-dependent manner. Gastroenterology. 2013 Dec;145(6):1230-6.
http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(13)01161-X/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23954315?tool=bestpractice.com
[6]Dellon ES, Kim HP, Sperry SL, et al. A phenotypic analysis shows that eosinophilic esophagitis is a progressive fibrostenotic disease. Gastrointest Endosc. 2014 Apr;79(4):577-85.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4599711
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24275329?tool=bestpractice.com
[34]Dellon ES, Gibbs WB, Fritchie KJ, et al. Clinical, endoscopic, and histologic findings distinguish eosinophilic esophagitis from gastroesophageal reflux disease. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Dec;7(12):1305-13.
https://www.cghjournal.org/article/S1542-3565(09)00834-9/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19733260?tool=bestpractice.com
[174]Kim HP, Vance RB, Shaheen NJ, et al. The prevalence and diagnostic utility of endoscopic features of eosinophilic esophagitis: a meta-analysis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Sep;10(9):988-96.
https://www.cghjournal.org/article/S1542-3565(12)00526-5/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22610003?tool=bestpractice.com
[175]Noel RJ, Putnam PE, Collins MH, et al. Clinical and immunopathologic effects of swallowed fluticasone for eosinophilic esophagitis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2004 Jul;2(7):568-75.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15224281?tool=bestpractice.com
Data show that the longer symptoms are present before diagnosis and treatment the more common it is to have oesophageal strictures and signs of remodelling.
To date, there has been no association of EoO with oesophageal cancer, and no cases of EoO have devolved to a more diffuse eosinophilic gastroenteritis or to hypereosinophilic syndrome.