Diagnostic criteria for eosinophilic esophagitis: a 5-year retrospective review in a pediatric population.

Background: The diagnostic criterion based on the number of eosinophils (Eos) per high-power field (HPF) does not appear to capture all patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EE).

Objectives: To determine whether EE has been underrecognized at our institution, clinical variables predicting EE, and whether the Luna eosinophil granule (LEG) stain detects eosinophils better than hematoxylin and eosin (HE).

Materials And Methods: Esophageal biopsies of 202 children younger than 18 years old from 2000 to 2004 were reviewed and Eos/HPF was recorded.