Eosinophilic Disease Program

Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell associated with allergies and parasitic infections that can affect the esophagus, stomach and intestines. The Eosinophilic Disease Program serves children from infancy through age 18 whose gastrointestinal symptoms strongly point to an eosinophilic disorder and children who are already diagnosed with an eosinophilic disorder such as:

• Eosinophilic esophagitis. This condition affects the esophagus.
• Eosinophilic gastritis. A process that mainly affects the stomach.
• Eosinophilic gastroenteritis. A process that involves the stomach and small intestine.
• Eosinophilic colitis. This condition impacts the large intestine (colon).

Most eosinophilic disorders are hard to diagnose. In many cases, children learn to live with their condition by using different ways to cope with their symptoms. Children with eosinophilic conditions may take a lot of time and effort to chew their food, drink lots of water and avoid textures that bother the throat.

We use a multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat your child. Our team will work with you to coordinate your child’s care and educate your child and family about the condition. We understand that EGIDs can change the life of the entire family. We partner with you and your child to provide integrated, total care for these conditions.

The Eosinophilic Disease Program at Riley at IU Health—also called Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Service (GIEDS)—is recognized as a leading national center for diagnosing and treating EGIDs.

After a diagnosis, your child’s health will be monitored regularly through our Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Service. The multidisciplinary center sees patients twice a month and offers appointments with board certified pediatric gastroenterologists, allergists, feeding therapists, dietitians, psychologists and nurses.

Our team provides ongoing evaluations of your child’s specific condition and health as well as any education and resources you and your family may need. Regular appointments with our team allow our doctors to adjust your child’s medicines and diet as needed.

If it is relevant to your child, he or she may have the chance to take part in a research study to learn more about EGIDs and their treatments. These studies take place at the Indiana University School of Medicine and through many national and international research efforts. We are part of the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR), and the National Institutes of Health and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fund some of our research.