Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
DETROIT - It is not clear why food allergies and eosinophilic disorders are on the rise, but a possible explanation among doctors is the hygiene theory.
"Nowadays people do not have that kind of frequent exposure to bacteria," said Duane Harrison, an allergist at Clarkston Allergy & Asthma in Independence Township, Mich. "And as a consequence, our immune systems are not stimulated to fight bacteria, and ... if it is not busying itself fighting bacteria, it tends to busy itself making other attacks."
Most diagnoses of eosinophilic disorders have occurred since 2000.
Harrison said he typically sees two new cases of the diseases per week, mostly from southeast Michigan.
Much is unknown about why and how the diseases work. They can occur in the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and colon. There are no national numbers for all these forms, but leading Cincinnati researcher Marc Rothenberg estimates the form that occurs in the esophagus exists in one out of 10,000 people in the United States.
At Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Rothenberg sees about 250 cases of eosinophilic disease per year, and the number goes up by 10 to 15 percent each year.
Along with varied allergic reactions, some with the disease have stunted growth. Left untreated, the condition leads to buildup of scar tissue in the affected area and, eventually, problems like trouble swallowing.
Patients treat the condition by avoiding allergens and taking allergy medication, antacids and steroids. In severe cases, patients are fed a special formula through a tube in their stomach.
---
More info about eosinophilic diseases:
A local group, the Circle of Food Allergic Families of Detroit, can be found, along with national support groups, at www.yahoo.com by clicking on "Groups" and searching for "eosinophilic."
More information about the diseases can be found at the Web site for the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders at www.apfed.org and at CURED at www.curednfp.org.
---
(c) 2005, Detroit Free Press. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
