Eosinophilic esophagitis is an allergic

Allergy

An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...

 inflammatory condition of the esophagus

Esophagus

The esophagus is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach...

. Symptoms are swallowing difficulty

Dysphagia

Dysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty in swallowing. Although classified under "symptoms and signs" in ICD-10, the term is sometimes used as a condition in its own right. Sufferers are sometimes unaware of their dysphagia....

, food impaction

Esophageal food bolus obstruction

An esophageal food bolus obstruction is a medical emergency caused by the obstruction of the esophagus by an ingested foreign body...

, and heartburn

Heartburn

Heartburn, also known as pyrosis or acid indigestion is a burning sensation in the chest, just behind the breastbone or in the epigastrium...

. The disease

Disease

A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...

 was first described in children but occurs in adults as well. The condition is not well understood, but food allergy

Food allergy

A food allergy is an adverse immune response to a food protein. They are distinct from other adverse responses to food, such as food intolerance, pharmacological reactions, and toxin-mediated reactions....

 may play a significant role.
The diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis is a clinicopathologic one, requiring mucosal biopsies of the esophagus obtained during esophagogastroduodenoscopy

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

For other expansions of the initialism "OGD", see the disambiguation page.In medicine , esophagogastroduodenoscopy is a diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract up to the duodenum...

. Normal esophageal mucosa does not have any infiltrating eosinophils

Eosinophil granulocyte

Eosinophil granulocytes, usually called eosinophils or eosinophiles , are white blood cells that are one of the immune system components responsible for combating multicellular parasites and certain infections in vertebrates. Along with mast cells, they also control mechanisms associated with...

.