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HOME/Research and Discoveries/Kids with EoE often mislabeled as picky eaters

Kids with EoE often mislabeled as picky eaters

 

May 16, 2012
5 Comments
By: Tanya Leach

There were clues Zeke Angel had eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic inflammatory condition, long before he could pronounce it. For years, his parents thought he had a sensitive stomach. It wasn’t until he became a teenager and grew sicker that he began seeing specialists at Cincinnati Children’s. That’s how his family learned more about his condition and how to deal with it.

The Texas teen has eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a rare disease characterized by elevated levels of eosinophils (white blood cells) in the esophagus. The immune response makes the eosinophils attack the esophagus, causing pain and inflammation. Since this is National Eosinophil Awareness Week, we invite you to find out more about the condition by watching Zeke’s story.

“After we found out what his diagnosis was, we realized, absolutely, this started from the minute he put food in his mouth,” says his mom, Cindy. “He’s been severely allergic and reactive to foods his entire life.”

His condition even made him a reality TV star last year on MTV’s “True Life: I’m Allergic to Everything.” But living with a restricted diet was not so glamorous. “I think that the bullying that got on TV was good because that happens a lot,” Zeke says.

Today, at 17, he has made his life about much more than food. He is a high school athlete who works to raise money for EoE research. He says he hopes someday people like Dr. Marc Rothenberg, one of his Cincinnati Children’s doctors at the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders, will someday find a cure.

WATCH ANOTHER FAMILY’S STORY: Specialists at Cincinnati Children’s are recognizing and diagnosing more and more cases of EoE. The Sieber family knows they are not alone in dealing with EoE and say they are glad to live so close to nationally recognized specialists.

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TAGS:
  • eosinophilic disorders
  • food allergy
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About the author: Tanya Leach

Tanya Bricking Leach is a writer and video producer at Cincinnati Children's and a former newspaper reporter who has covered crime for The Cincinnati Enquirer, sports for USA Today, island life for The Honolulu Advertiser, food for The Associated Press and stories about storms and surfers for the New York Times. Tanya is the author of the military-themed travel guide "Hawaii for Heroes." She is married to a military veteran and is the mother of two young boys. When she's not wired in at work, she enjoys unplugging with her family on their sailboat.

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Comments

chastity May 16, 2012 at 3:22 pm

My son is 5 and has this condition… Its nice to know that strides are being made on the research front to help children combat this sometimes frustrating disease

El May 18, 2012 at 9:33 am

I have a 6 year-old son with a severe case of EE, and am closely watching my daughters for symptoms, because it is genetic. Everyday my son says “when they find a cure for EE, I will eat everything in the refrigerator.” I pray this happens for him and all the others struggling with this nasty disorder.

Kim August 18, 2013 at 8:43 pm

My son 9yrs old has had EOE now for a while. We and his pediatrician thought it was acid reflux, but the medication would not help him. He was so pitiful not being able to eat bc he thought if he did he would get sick. As of now he is on an inhaler, and sees the gi doctor.

Picky Eating and Autism - The Autism Community in Action (TACA) April 1, 2020 at 12:10 pm

[…] this article titled, Kids with EoE often mislabeled Picky Eaters.   Since immune dysfunction is common in autism, EoE is found many kids with […]

Picky Eating and Autism - The Autism Community in Action June 10, 2020 at 2:16 am

[…] this article titled, Kids with EoE often mislabeled Picky Eaters. Since immune dysfunction is common in autism, EoE is found many kids with […]

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