Achalasia Tied to Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Other Allergic Disorders (Medscape)

TOPLINE:
The risk for allergic disorders, especially eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), is significantly higher in people with achalasia, suggesting the need for an EoE evaluation before embarking on invasive achalasia treatment, researchers say.

METHODOLOGY:

• ICD codes were used to identify patients with achalasia and allergic disorders from the Utah Population Database.
• Among 844 patients with achalasia (mean age at diagnosis, 58 years; 55% women), 402 patients (48%) had one or more allergic disorders.
• The relative risk (RR) for allergic disorders in patients with achalasia compared with a matched population was calculated, with subanalyses for patients age 40 years and younger and 41 and older.