Sometime, patients with symptoms of heartburn due to chronic acid reflux (also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease) do not improve with appropriate medical treatment. These patients often undergo a diagnostic endoscopy of the esophagus and stomach, including a biopsy. Occasionally, the biopsy may show a condition called “eosinophilic esophagitis”, in which many eosinophils have invaded the esophageal lining. This condition is often caused by food allergy. Unfortunately, conventional allergy skin testing or blood testing may not reveal the food that is responsible. In this situation, a special type of food allergy test is indicated, referred to as a food patch test. This test involves the application of small samples of suspect foods to the patient’s back which are then removed 2 days later. This type of testing is not performed by all allergy clinics. If you have been diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis, ask your doctor whether the food patch test might help you.
Dr. Jonathan Corren was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with honors in Biology and then completed his medical training at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.