Marc Rothenberg, MD, of the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR), and Professor of Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, gives an overview of the recent study showing removal of milk from the diet is as effective as stricter elimination diets for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).
CEGIR is part of the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) consortium.
EoE is a chronic, allergic inflammatory disease characterized by the buildup of eosinophils in the lining of the esophagus. Patients with EoE often experience difficulty feeding, poor weight gain, and trouble swallowing. Currently, the most effective method to manage this condition is to avoid foods that trigger an EoE episode. Unfortunately, it is not clear which foods or food groups are always a trigger.
Recently, the CERIG group published their study in the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology journal showing that the elimination of milk from the diet was as effective as adhering to a more strict six-food elimination diet (animal milk, wheat, egg, soy, fish and shellfish, and peanut and tree nuts).
In the study, 129 patients with EoE were enrolled to receive either a milk-free diet alone or a diet that was free of all six of the common food groups eliminated (milk, wheat, egg, soy, fish, nuts). After six weeks, 34% of persons on the milk-free diet and 40% of the persons in the six-food-group elimination diet had histological remission (peak oesophageal count <15 eosinophils per high-power field). The difference between the two groups was not deemed statistically significant. The authors concluded that eliminating animal milk alone is an acceptable initial dietary therapy for EoE.
To learn more about this and other research being conducted by CEGIR, visit cegir.rarediseasesnetwork.org/
To stay up to date on the latest clinical research by CEGIR and other RDCRN consortia, visit checkrare.com/rare-diseases-clinical-research-network/
