Treating EOE with Dupixent injections

Our son was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) at age 10. We discovered this diagnosis while trying to introduce wheat into his diet through oral immunotherapy (OIT). He’s lived with a history of anaphylactic reactions to many of the Top 9 most common food allergens since infancy.

Beyond removing the OIT food, his already limited diet introduced challenges to treating his EOE. Often an elimination diet will initially be recommended by your gastroenterologist (GI) to address inflammation and discomfort. Follow up endoscopies determine which food(s) are causing the inflammation.  This, however, was not an option for our son and his lack of growth was an ongoing concern.

Our GI turned to available medications (most prescribed off-label because no medication is specifically indicated for EOE treatment.)

We tried many medications and treatments, each with challenges and setbacks:

·      Swallowing Flovent mist -- ended with insomnia and depression

·      Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) – eosinophil counts increased further

·      Removed all of the Top 9 most common food allergens – some improvement but not enough improvement

·      Budesonide slurry – kept eosinophils controlled but still not enough, and pronounced failure to grow

We were running out of options for treatment. Our son’s GI and allergist recommended we move on to pursuing approval for another off-label medication – Dupixent (dupilumab) injections. This was a big decision for our family. We thoroughly researched this new medication, already on the market for other conditions. We spoke in detail to our GI and allergist, considered possible side effects, and decided without any other options, we would try Dupixent.

After a four month trial, our son’s first endoscopy showed great results. His eosinophil count was below 15 (the level indicative of EOE), he wasn’t experiencing discomfort, and no current side effects were apparent. Our family was relieved to finally find a treatment that worked for our son’s EOE.

Our son has had success with controlling his EOE on Dupixent for the past 18 months. We move forward cautiously with anticipation for continued control of symptoms, and are grateful he is living without discomfort, thriving and living a full life. I’ll continue to share more as his treatment progresses.

We continue to keep up to date on treatment developments for this chronic disease with The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (Apfed).

To learn more about our evolving EOE journey, look through the EOE page on my blog to discover how we live creatively managing EOE and food allergies. We approach this with a can-do attitude.

For more information on OIT, EOE and other concerns, visit Resources. Please get in touch with any questions.