Living Without magazine had an article in it called "Life Without Food" that talks about Eosinophilic disorders. I thought a few things were interesting and thought I would post some of the information in the magazine. I find that different doctors give me different statistics, probably because the disease is so new. I will post some of what the article stated.
- Eosinophilic esophagitis is a disease that has only gained recognition in the past decade.
- Currently, the average gap is 2-4 years between initial onset of symptoms and diagnoses, but that gap may be narrowing as the medical community is becoming more familiar w/ the disease.
- Most common trigger foods (though they vary for each individual of course) were: Milk, eggs, wheat, soy, corn, chicken, and beef.
- Some research has found that seafood isn't usually a big EGID trigger and that beef,chicken, corn and other grains may be more involved.
- EE has been diagnosed in every continent except Africa.
- Reports of its prevalence range from 1 in 1,000 people to 1 in 10,000.
- The onset of EE symptoms can occur at any age and at any time; however, it's more often diagnosed in childhood and more predominant in males than females.
- The rise in EE parallels the rise in other allergic condition, like food allergies, atopic dermatitis and asthma. The etoilogic cause for these conditions is also undetermined.
- Research funding is desperately needed if we are to see positive change in the future.
After reading this article I am thankful to live in the time that we do instead of even 50 years ago. I couldn't imagine not having the internet which is a life saver for recipes or the health food stores with the gluten free products and dairy alternatives. I was also surprised that peanut wasn't one of the top trigger foods.
