Effectiveness of PPI treatment and guideline adherence in 236 patients with eosinophilic oesophagitis-Results from the population-based DanEoE cohort shows a low complication rate

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are often the first drug of choice in the treatment of eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE), and in Denmark 8 weeks of high-dose PPI therapy is recommended as first-line treatment followed by rebiopsying, reflecting international recommendations.

Aims: To assess the population-based effectiveness of PPIs in the treatment of EoE and evaluate whether patients were treated and followed according to the regional guideline.

Methods: This is a retrospective, registry-based, DanEoE cohort study of 236 adult EoE patients diagnosed between 2007 and 2017 in the North Denmark Region. After patient file revision, the EoE diagnosis was defined according to the AGREE 2 consensus. Symptomatic PPI response was defined as complete symptom resolution and histological remission (<15 eosinophils per high-power field).

Results: PPI treatment was initiated in 92% of the EoE patients. High- and low-dose PPIs were prescribed in 55% and 45% of the cases, respectively. When treated with high-dose PPIs, 68% of the patients were completely symptom-free, and 49% were in histological remission. In 39% of high-dose PPI-treated patients, the symptomatic and histological responses were conflicting. While treated with PPIs, complications were rare, with <5% strictures in responders and <10% in non-responders. Rebiopsying was done in 67% of the EoE patients started on PPIs.

Conclusions: High-dose PPI treatment was effective in half of the EoE patients started on PPIs, but conflicting symptomatic and histological PPI responses were common. Complications were rare when PPIs were started. One-third of the patients were not rebiopsied as recommended.