[Characteristics of eosinophilic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract in children--a retrospective analysis of clinical material with review of the literature].

Eosinophilic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract are a heterogeneous group of rare and therefore rarely diagnosed chronic diseases occurring in both pediatric and adults. They represent a diverse clinical presentation, but their common feature is the presence of inflammatory infiltration of the intestinal wall with increased number of eosinophils. The study was a retrospective data analysis of patients hospitalized in the Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow, in the last 34 months. Among 11191 hospitalized children with symptoms suggesting gastrointestinal tract disorders, 1918 patients underwent endoscopic examination in which only 23 patients had significantly higher number of eosinophils in biopsies. Two of the four patients with eosinophilia in esophageal biopsy were diagnosed retrospectively as eosinophilic esophagitis. In the remaining 21 patients eosinophilia was secondary to other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Based on the medical documentation we performed thorough characterization study population in terms of history, physical examination and carried out laboratory tests. The results were referred to the current review of the literature.