Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis: A Case Series from Iran

BACKGROUND Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) is a rare inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. There have been several case series of patients with EG from the western world and East Asia. However, there has not been a report of patients with EG from the Middle East region. The aim of this study is to describe clinical characteristics and treatment response in a series of EG patients from Iran. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed charts with a diagnosis of EG from 1997 to 2010 at Shariati Hospital and the private clinics of the authors. Clinical characteristics of the patients were evaluated, and the treatment response and relapse rate were assessed. RESULTS Twenty-two patients (9 male) with EG were identified. Mean age of the patients was 45.1±15.5 (range: 27-75) years. Median duration between symptom onset and diagnosis was 12 (range 1- 48) months. Twenty (90%) patients had mucosal involvement, one (5%) had muscular involvement and one (5%) had subserosal involvement. Patients were followed for a median duration of 36.5 (range 4-123) months. Two patients had spontaneous remission with supportive care. The remaining 20 patients responded well to oral corticosteroid treatments. The relapse rate was 33%. Episodes of relapse were successfully controlled with a repeat course of corticosteroids. Two patients with several relapses required maintenance treatment with azathioprine. CONCLUSION The clinical characteristics and treatment responses of EG patients from Iran are similar to reports from other parts of the world. Patients need to undergo close follow up after treatment to detect early signs of relapse.