ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1656107
Non-Eosinophilic Esophagitis Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases Are More Prevalent Than Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Korean Children: From a Multicenter Study Based on New Diagnostic Criteria and Nomenclature
Provisionally accepted
- 1Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan-si, Republic of Korea
- 2Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- 3Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Jongno-gu, Republic of Korea
- 4Chung Ang University Hospital, Dongjak-gu, Republic of Korea
- 5Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Gangdong-gu, Republic of Korea
- 6Soonchunhyang University Hospital Bucheon, Bucheon-si, Republic of Korea
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) are chronic inflammatory disorders characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pediatric EGIDs in Korea based on the newly established nomenclature and diagnostic guidelines.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on pediatric patients (0-18 years) with GI symptoms who underwent upper and lower GI endoscopy at five tertiary hospitals in Korea (2010Korea ( ~ 2023)). Patients were classified based on the latest diagnostic criteria into eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and non-eosinophilic esophagitis eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease (non-EoE EGIDs), including eosinophilic gastritis (EoG), eosinophilic enteritis (EoN), and eosinophilic colitis (EoC). Clinical, laboratory, and endoscopic findings were analyzed.Results: Among a total of 4,972 pediatric endoscopic procedures (3,300 upper and 1,672 lower), 63 cases (1.3%) of EGIDs were diagnosed, with non-EoE EGIDs (65.1%) being more prevalent than EoE (34.9%). Within the non-EoE EGIDs group, EoG was the most common subtype (33.3%), followed by EoN (20.6%) and EoC (7.9%). Multi-site involvement was observed in 30.2% with frequent esophageal involvement (EI). Endoscopic abnormalities, including rings and furrows in EoE and ulcers in non-EoE EGIDs, were common. Peripheral eosinophil counts and fecal calprotectin levels were significantly higher in non-EoE EGIDs with EI than in EoE (P < 0.05). The relapse rates exceeded 20% across all subtypes.Conclusion: This study highlights the distinctive epidemiology of pediatric EGIDs in Korea, where non-EoE EGIDs are more prevalent than EoE, contrasting with Western reports. Peripheral eosinophil counts and fecal calprotectin levels were significantly higher in non-EoE EGIDs with EI than in EoE.
Keywords: Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs), Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), Eosinophilic gastritis (EoG), Pediatrics, Multicenter study, nomenclature, guideline
Received: 29 Jun 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lee, Kang, Kim, Yi, Kim, Lee, Choi and Choe. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Byung-Ho Choe, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.