Eosinophilic Colitis

The purpose of this study is to learn more about Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders (EGIDs). With this registry we hope to find out more about the symptoms that patients have during their treatment, the quality of life they have with the diagnosis, what the disease looks like throughout the different treatment methods, and if there is a connection between EGIDs and connective tissue disorders. The goal of this study is to be able to better understand EGIDs and use information gained from all the information collected on this study for more precise treatments in the future. We want to create a large collection of samples, called a biorepository, to learn the most about EGIDs as possible. When the samples are collected, which will occur at procedures directed by your child's doctor as part of their standard of care, they will be stored for an unlimited amount of time to perform experiments on these samples and to gather information about EGIDs

The purpose of this observational study is to find the best measures to define how well a person with eosinophilic disorder is doing. People with EoE, EoG, EoN and EoC normally undergo endoscopy and/or colonoscopy where cells are collected for microscopic analysis. Treatments are then decided based on how the cells look. We are aiming to compare different tissue components such as inflammatory cell types with clinical symptoms. We want to see if scores on standard questionnaires can give us an idea how well the person is doing.

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs) are a heterogeneous group of emerging chronic inflammatory diseases that may affect different gastrointestinal (GI) tracts. Based on the anatomical site involved, EGIDs are distinguished into eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and non-esophageal forms, which are subdivided into eosinophilic gastritis (EoG), gastroenteritis (EoGE), and colitis (EoC). EoE is considered the prototype of EGIDs. Since the first description of a case series of patients with EoE, fundamental scientific advances have been achieved, culminating in the redaction of international diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines. In contrast to EoE, non-esophageal forms of EGIDs are still a clinical enigma with evidence limited to a few retrospective studies. In the last decade, an increase in the prevalence of EGIDs has been observed in the pediatric age. Unfortunately, the epidemiology of EGIDs in Italy is still inconsistent and clear estimates are not available. Firstly, this study will allow us to assess and clarify several clinical and epidemiological aspects of pediatric EGIDs, in particular: 1. prevalence and incidence of pediatric EGIDs in Italy, 2. the clinical features and potential phenotypes of pediatric EGIDs with potential impact on therapy and management, 3. diagnostic work-up and adherence to the EoE international guidelines to improve the management, quality of care, and quality of life of affected patients. This study has no ethical problems since EoE patients are treated according to international guidelines and those with non-esophageal EGIDs according to the latest scientific evidence.