J29 — July 2009 —Food Allergies

Intro: Stomach pain, nausea, heartburn, trouble swallowing: Common symptoms that prompt many people to head to the doctor's office. But it's not always easy for doctors to find out what's causing them. That's especially true if the culprit is a certain type of food allergy which can contribute to particular medical conditions. There just hasn't been a reliable and accurate way to test them until now.

DR. JAMES LEE SAYS SOME FOOD ALLERGIES CAN BE TRICKY TO DIAGNOSE. FOR EXAMPLE, IT'S EASY TO TELL IF SOMEONE'S ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS BECAUSE THEY CAN IMMEDIATELY GET HIVES AND HAVE DIFFICULTY BREATHING. BUT ANOTHER TYPE OF FOOD ALLERGY DOES NOT COME ON AS SPONTANEOUSLY. THIS IS THE CASE WITH A CONDITION CALLED EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS.

"WHAT HAPPENS IS, OTHER DISEASES, MORE COMMON THINGS LIKE REFLUX HAVE TO BE ELIMINATED BEFORE WE CAN MOVE ON."

THAT'S BECAUSE THERE'S NOT BEEN A RELIABLE TEST TO CONFIRM THE PRESENCE OF THE SPECIFIC CELLS INVOLVED. BUT NOW, DR. JAMES LEE AND HIS RESEARCH TEAM AT MAYO CLINIC HAVE DEVELOPED A NEW WAY TO AID DIAGNOSING SUCH CASES.

"FOOD ALLERGIES, ALLERGIES IN GENERAL ARE CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRESENCE OF EOSINOPHILS."

EOSINOPHILS ARE A TYPE OF WHITE BLOOD CELL. THESE CELLS INCREASE IN NUMBER DURING MANY ALLERGIC REACTIONS, BUT THEY CAN BE HARD TO SEE. THAT'S BECAUSE WHEN THESE CELLS ARE ACTIVE, THEY CAN BREAK APART. TRADITIONAL METHODS OF DETECTING THE EOSINOPHILS IN THAT STATE ARE NOT VERY EFFECTIVE. DR. LEE AND HIS TEAM HAVE CREATED A NEW WAY TO STAIN TISSUE SAMPLES WITH A SPECIAL ANTIBODY. THIS METHOD SINGLES OUT EOSINOPHILS, SO THAT THEY'RE RECOGNIZABLE FROM OTHER CELLS IN THE TISSUE SAMPLE.

"AS YOU CAN SEE THESE ARE THE EOSINOPHILS THAT HAVE BEEN DETECTED WITH THE ANTIBODY."

RESEARCHER CHERYL PROTHEROE SAYS THIS NEW METHOD IS A TOOL TO HELP DOCTORS MAKE MORE ACCURATE DIAGNOSES, SO PATIENTS CAN GET ON THE RIGHT TREATMENT.

"THE ISSUE HERE IS: CAN WE HELP PATIENTS QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO UNDERGO VARIOUS THERAPIES THAT ARE UNNECESSARY OR SUFFER WITH DISEASE SYMPTOMS FOR AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME."

FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS.

Anchor tag: Dr. Lee's research on this new test for eosinophilic esophagitis is being published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Right now the test is being used at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Lee hopes that it will soon be available to all physicians dealing with food allergies.

As research moves forward, it will likely aid in detecting eosinophil associated conditions elsewhere in the digestive tract.

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