Skin Patch Benefits Kids With Milk-induced Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Skin patch was found to show promising results in treating children with a painful, chronic condition called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) triggered by milk.

Skin patch was found to show promising results in treating children with a painful, chronic condition called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) triggered by milk, stated new study from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Among 20 //children with EoE who wore Viaskin Milk - a skin patch measuring just over an inch long containing trace amounts of milk protein - nine (47%) saw an improvement in their symptoms and normalization of their biopsies after 11 months.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) | Allergic Esophagitis - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Risk Factors
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) / allergic esophagitis / esophagus allergy is an allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus that is precipitated by allergens. Treatment is available for the condition.

‘Epicutaneous immunotherapy may help children with milk-induced eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).’

The findings were published online this month in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

The pilot study followed 20 children aged 4 to 17 with EoE. The patients followed a milk-free diet for nine months, then re-introduced milk into their diet for the next two months. After 11 months, almost half of those wearing the Viaskin Milk patch had fewer EoE symptoms, including less inflammation when they underwent an endoscopy compared to none in the placebo group.

"This study shows great promise for an immunotherapy that aims to desensitize children to milk," said study leader Jonathan Spergel, MD, PhD, Chief of the Allergy Program at CHOP. "Our next step would be to launch a much larger study to confirm our results. Currently, there's no cure for EoE, so this would be the first strategy to treat the underlying cause of the disease."

Existing Allergies a Risk for Eosinophilic Esophagitis for Children
Children with existing allergies should be screened for an emerging severe chronic food allergy called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). A recent study finds that EoE may be a late manifestation of the allergic march.

EoE is a food-based disease that causes redness, swelling and itching in the esophagus when a patient eats a food that triggers their reaction. Traditional allergy testing is not helpful. Patients may experience nausea, vomiting, or a burning sensation in the throat. If left untreated, the esophagus may narrow due to scarring. Currently, the only ways to manage EoE is to treat the symptoms with off-label topical steroids which may cause growth retardation, or to follow a restrictive diet which may be difficult for patients to follow. Children with EoE often have other allergic disorders like asthma, seasonal allergies or eczema.

Disclosure of Related Financial Interest: Jonathan M. Spergel, MD, PhD, Antonella Cianferoni, MD, PhD, Megan O. Lewis, MSN, RN, CPNP, and Terri Brown-Whitehorn, MD, have consulting agreements and clinical trial grants with DBV Technologies. Jonathan M. Spergel, MD, PhD, has stock equity with DBV Technologies.

Children With Existing Allergies Should be Screened for Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)
Children with known skin, food and respiratory allergies should be screened for an emerging, chronic food allergy called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a painful inflammation of the esophagus, the food tube between the mouth and stomach.

The study sponsor (DBV Technologies) had no role in analysis or interpretation of data. They provided the Viaskin Milk Patch. Final study design was done by Jonathan M. Spergel and Antonella Cianferoni.

Source-Eurekalert

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