Description: Co-hosts Ryan Piansky, a graduate student and patient advocate living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic asthma, and Holly Knotowicz, a speech-language pathologist living with EoE who serves on APFED’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, interview Dr. John Accarino, an allergist and immunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mass General for Children, on the topic of immunology support for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Dr. Accarino shares his experiences as a person living with food allergies, allergic asthma, peanut allergy, and eosinophilic esophagitis. He tells how his experiences help him in his work with patients. Dr. Accarino shares some education on a variety of allergy mechanisms and the treatments that mitigate them. Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is designed to support, not replace the relationship that exists between listeners and their healthcare providers. Opinions, information, and recommendations shared in this podcast are not a substitute for medical advice. Decisions related to medical care should be made with your healthcare provider. Opinions and views of guests and co-hosts are their own. Key Takeaways: [:49] Co-host Ryan Piansky introduces the episode, brought to you thanks to the support of Education Partners Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, Sanofi, and Regeneron. Ryan introduces co-host Holly Knotowicz. [1:14] Holly introduces today’s topic, immunology support for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), and introduces today’s guest, Dr. John Accarino, an allergist and immunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Holly welcomes Dr. Accarino to Real Talk. [1:49] Holly notes that Dr. Accarino is her allergist and immunologist. [2:03] Dr. Accarino works at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mass General for Children. Allergy and Immunology is a field where he can see pediatrics and adults. Originally trained in pediatrics, now Dr. Accarino sees patients of all ages. [2:23] Dr. Accarino grew up with allergies. He has experienced food allergies since he was young, along with allergic asthma, and some eczema, which he grew out of. Later in life, he was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis. He talks with his patients about his experiences. [2:47] Dr. Accarino also does research on drug allergies in the context of certain drug interactions that involve eosinophils. [3:06] When Holly was referred to Dr. Accarino, it was for multiple sclerosis (MS). He told her, “It looks like you have EoE. I have EoE.” It was a huge relief to Holly not to have to explain EoE to her doctor. [3:41] Some patients start to explain their EoE to Dr. Accarino, and he assures them he understands where they’re coming from. Sometimes, he has to be careful not to think everyone has his symptoms, as there is a large spectrum of presentations. [4:26] Dr. Accarino wasn’t diagnosed with EoE until he was in his allergy fellowship, after he suspected it when he had a food impaction at a steakhouse at a graduation party from his pediatric residency. He tried to manage the EoE with lifestyle changes. [5:39] Dr. Accarino didn’t often go to see a doctor during residency, but he realized it was probably a good time to get an endoscopy. [5:52] Holly shares how she was also diagnosed as a clinical fellow. She was subbing for someone on the GEDP team at Children’s Hospital in Colorado. Listening to all the patients, she realized, “This sounds a little bit like me … What is going on?” [6:23] Even with his medical background, it took Dr. Accarino some time to decide to get the endoscopy and biopsies. You or your doctor have to have a high level of suspicion to realize this isn’t just reflux. Food doesn’t get stuck in every person’s throat. [7:01] Thinking back, Dr. Accarino remembers an instance as a child when a dry muffin got stuck in his throat. He stayed calm and waited for it to pass. He thought it was normal. [7:39] He drank a lot of water and chewed his food a lot. Those are markers of potential esophageal inflammation. [8:20] Different groups have different management strategies for EoE. Dietary management, topical steroids, biologics. A subgroup of people with EoE are responsive to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Finding the best management strategy is a work in progress. [8:53] With pediatric patients, the parents control the diet, and the children eat what is prepared. He notes that with adult patients, sometimes they let foods slip through. [9:10] If you want to do a single-food elimination diet with dairy, there’s a lot of dairy in the American diet. Dr. Accarino tried eliminating dairy and wheat, but he still had persistent eosinophils with dietary elimination. [9:24] Dr. Accarino then tried PPIs. To know if you have PPI-responsive EoE, you might do twice-daily omeprazole at a significant dose. Have the endoscopy after a few weeks pass and see if the eosinophils are still present ...