EoE Associated With Risk of Psychiatric Disorders

A population-based nationwide cohort study in Sweden revealed that patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) had a 1.5-fold increased risk of developing mood disorders, anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder during the first 5 years following their diagnosis with EoE, but not thereafter, according to research published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The investigators identified patients with EoE diagnosed during 1989–2017 in Sweden (n = 1,458), using the ESPRESSO histopathology cohort. Each patient with EoE was matched with 5 reference individuals by sex, age, county, and calendar year (n = 6,436). The researchers used Cox proportional hazard modeling to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs). To adjust for intrafamilial confounding, patients with EoE were further compared with their siblings

The median age at EoE diagnosis was 39 years; 76% of the enrolled with EoE were male.

“During a median follow-up of 4 years, 106 individuals with EoE (15.96/1,000 person-years) developed a psychiatric disorder compared with 331 reference individuals (10.93/1,000 person-years), corresponding to an HR of 1.50 (95% confidence interval = 1.20–1.87),” the investigators wrote. “The highest relative risks were seen in individuals diagnosed with EoE in childhood. Compared with siblings, individuals with EoE were at an increased risk of psychiatric disease (HR = 1.62; 95% confidence interval = 1.14–2.31).”

The researchers concluded, “Individuals with EoE may be at greater risk of psychiatric disease than their siblings and the general population. This risk needs to be considered in clinical care to detect, prevent, and treat comorbidity.”

—Rebecca Mashaw

Reference:

Röjler L, Garber JJ, Butwicka A, Roelstraete B, Ludvigsson JF. Individuals with eosinophilic esophagitis are at greater risk of later psychiatric disorder. Am J Gastroenterol. 2022;117(7): 1046-1055