A multicenter, retrospective cohort study on the diagnosis, treatment and natural history of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders in the Netherlands

Non-Eosinophilic Esophagitis Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases (non-EoE EGIDs) are poorly understood. Evaluate clinical manifestations, diagnostics and treatment of non-EoE EGIDs at four hospitals in the Netherlands from 1991 to 2019. For this retrospective cohort study, centralized nationwide network and registry for cyto- and histopathology in the Netherlands (PALGA) was used. Seventy patients consented to participate. Median duration of follow up was 26 months, and median age was 36 years. About 44% had eosinophilic colitis (EoC) and 30% had > 1 GI location (multisite EGID). Most patients (91%) had mucosal type, 6% muscular and 3% serosal EGID. Three patients (4%) did not have follow up. Relapsing remitting in 21% (14/67) patients, with most being multisite (43%; 9/21). Single flares in 57% and chronically symptomatic in 22% of population. Concomitant atopy was seen in 29%. Normal endoscopy results in 61%; ileum was commonly identified normal area. Partial or complete symptom improvement to treatment seen in 71%. Results of the longitudinal retrospective Dutch study do not show progression from single site to multisite EGID or change in EGID type. We conclude that identifying patients requires further research as majority of patients had normal endoscopy and vague abdominal symptoms.