A History of Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), an isolated esophageal eosinophilia associated with clinical symptoms, is a disease that has received a great deal of attention over the last 10–15 years. EoE, previously known as primary eosinophilic esophagitis, idiopathic eosinophilic esophagitis or allergic esophagitis, occurs in both children and adults. Prior to 1995, the literature contained only rare reports of individuals diagnosed with an isolated esophageal eosinophilia. However, since 1995, reports in the literature and information related to EoE has grown tremendously. This chapter focuses on the history of EoE including initial reports of esophageal eosinophilia prior to 1995, the landmark article identifying EoE as a disorder in 1995, the growth of EoE in the literature since 1995, the development of the First International Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Research Symposium (FIGERS) in 2006, and the creation of The International Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Researchers (TIGERS).