Help for Children With GI Disorders

Our Mission

The Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Program (GEDP), located at The Children’s Hospital and National Jewish Health, is dedicated to providing the best individualized care available to children diagnosed with eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs).

Our GEDP offers a multidisciplinary team of specialists working together to improve the quality of life for affected children by deciding upon the best individualized treatment plan after careful consideration of all available options. These plans generally involve nutritional and/or medical management.

Learn more

The Children’s Hospital offers advanced services and specialized multidisciplinary care for children with eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs).

Does your child seem to suffer from endless stomach problems? If treatment options such as eating bland food and diagnosing food allergies do not improve your child’s health, the problem may be a more serious condition — your child may have a gastrointestinal disorder. Ask your pediatrician or family doctor how The Children’s Hospital can help.

If your child is referred to The Children’s Hospital, a multidisciplinary approach to treating EGIDs is provided through the Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Program (GEDP), in partnership with National Jewish Health.

Understanding EGIDs

EGIDs are chronic disorders of the intestinal tract characterized by inflamed intestinal tissues containing abnormally increased numbers of eosinophils, a specific type of white blood cell often associated with allergic disease. The symptoms of EGIDs are those seen in many other gastrointestinal conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease and gastroesophageal reflux diseases, and include:

• Recurrent nausea or vomiting
• Persistent diarrhea
• Poor growth or weight loss
• Abdominal or chest pain
• Heartburn
• Difficulty swallowing

How The Children’s Hospital can help

“If parents notice a pattern of these symptoms persisting in their children, they should first visit their primary care physician to discuss potential causes and then develop a strategy for evaluation and treatment,” said Dan Atkins, MD, professor of pediatrics and co-director of the joint GEDP at The Children’s Hospital and National Jewish Health. “If normal treatment approaches do not provide relief, their physician may suggest a consultation with a specialist such as a gastroenterologist, or, in some cases, an allergist.”

Making Life Easier

Although eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) are not life threatening, they greatly affect the health of those who suffer from them. Many children who are diagnosed with these diseases have very limited diets, and because most social gatherings involve food, children often feel excluded. To help your child overcome these challenges, you can:

• Bring safe snack alternatives with you to birthday parties and other celebrations.
• Meet with your child’s teacher before school starts to provide education and discuss strategies about how to keep your child safe. One strategy would be to always have one of your child’s favorite snacks available in case of an unexpected party with snacks that may not be safe for him.
• Teach your child only to accept foods from specific people to prevent accidentally eating harmful foods.
• Ensure your child is involved in other activities that do not revolve around food.

Once an EGID diagnosis is suspected, referral to the GEDP results in a thorough, coordinated multidisciplinary evaluation aimed at accurately identifying triggers and formulating a comprehensive treatment plan. Because EGIDs are often associated with food allergies and/or other allergic disorders, evaluation by an allergist, in addition to working with a gastroenterologist, is indicated.

An EGID diagnosis is made when biopsies (tissue samples) taken from the gastrointestinal tract by a gastroenterologist are found to contain abnormally increased numbers of eosinophils. As many children with EGIDs have difficulty eating, feeding specialists and dietitians are often part of the treatment team. In addition, therapeutic consultation is an integral aspect of a child’s evaluation because of the stress and emotional issues encountered in raising a child with feeding difficulties and chronic illness. This communication between different specialists is necessary to develop the optimal treatment plan for each patient.

Searching for a cure

Because little is known about EGIDs, one goal of the GEDP is to learn more about these disorders and their causes in order to develop new strategies to identify, evaluate, treat and eventually cure them. Current studies involve the examination of biopsy tissue samples to determine how and why these disorders occur, as well as research on treatment effectiveness and improving children’s quality of life.

“Our top priority is to provide outstanding care using the latest diagnostic techniques and treatments available,” said Glenn Furuta, MD, director of the GEDP. “Many talented professionals are involved with this program and are very dedicated to caring for these children and their families.