The Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Program (GEDP) at The Children's Hospital and National Jewish Medical and Research Center provides state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary care to patients affected by eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs), including eosinophilic esophagitis (EE). This team of medical professionals from two world-class healthcare institutions is the only multidisciplinary program caring for children with EGIDs in the midwestern United States and Rocky Mountain Region.

EGIDs are a group of diseases characterized by a wide variety of gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting, swallowing problems, food impaction, abdominal pain, diarrhea, slow growth and bleeding. These symptoms occur in combination with increased numbers of eosinophils in the gastrointestinal lining. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that has been primarily associated with allergic diseases but are also found in other diseases.

Depending on the part of the GI tract affected, EGIDs can be called a variety of different names, such as eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), eosinophilic gastritis (EG), eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE), and eosinophilic colitis (EC), with the diagnostic term being based primarily on the location of the mucosal eosinophilia.

Patients and families are provided with the latest in clinical services ranging from endoscopic assessment, allergy testing and in some circumstances, novel treatment protocols. Importantly, a wide range of clinical research projects are being conducted to uncover new knowledge and improve patient care. Interested patients are offered the opportunity to participate in any protocol.

Glenn T. Furuta, MD, Director of the Program, is a pediatric gastroenterologist whose work focuses on identifying clinical features of EGIDs and developing methods for patient assessment and treatment.

F. Dan Atkins, MD, Co-Director of the Program, brings both clinical expertise and research experience in food allergy to the team.

David Fleischer, MD, is an experienced clinician in food allergic diseases and has a research focus on food allergic diseases.

Three dieticians, Catherine Santagelo, RD, Kristin Brown, RD, and Emily McCloud, RD, provide outstanding nutritional expertise. Angela Haas, MA, SSS-SLP, and Nancy Maune, OTR, are experienced members of the Feeding Program at The Children’s Hosptial and can provide diagnostic and therapeutic expertise when necessary.

The GEDP is coordinated by Stephanie Petersburg, PA, and Kathy Spomer, RN, with administrative support from Felicia Timoteo.

Visit our web page at The Children's Hospital website for more information about our Clinical Services at The Children's Hospital.

Additional information about our Gastrointestinal Eosinophil Disease Program is also available in the Winter 2008 edition of Practice Update, a quarterly magazine published by the Physician Relations department at The Children's Hospital.