Familial dysphagia and eosinophilia

BackgroundRecent reports suggest a familial predisposition to eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) and a link between Schatzki's rings and EE.ObjectiveOur objective is to present our experience with 7 families with dysphagia and eosinophilia.DesignCase series.SettingOne-thousand–bed community-based teaching hospital.PatientsSeventeen patients from 7 families with dysphagia and eosinophilia.MethodsDirect clinical and endoscopic examination with review of radiologic and pathologic data.ResultsTwelve patients had EE alone, one had eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) alone, one had EE and EG, and 3 geriatric patients had Schatzki's rings (one with EG and peripheral eosinophilia [PE] and one with PE). EE spanned 2 generations in 4 families and involved 2 brothers in one family.LimitationsThis was a case series.ConclusionWe propose a familial dysphagia syndrome characterized by eosinophilia in the form of EE, EG, or PE and Schatzki's rings in older generations.