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By Victoria Groce, About.com Guide to Food Allergies

Eosinophilic Enteropathy

Tuesday October 16, 2007
Eosinophils (Courtesy Taipei Veterans General Hospital)

No matter how restricted your diet is, it's probably not as narrow as Tylor Savage's, who appeared on NBC's Today show last week. Twelve-year-old Tylor can eat six foods (chicken, tuna, carrots, potatoes, grapes, and apples), along with a special type of formula that he takes through a feeding tube.

Tylor's allergies are caused by a rare disorder called eosinophilic enteropathy (EE). In eosinophilic disorders, the body produces extremely high numbers of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell associated with some allergies, autoimmune disorders, and parasitic infections. (According to the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, some cases of EE are allergic in nature, while some are not.) Eosinophilic disorders can affect many parts of the digestive tract, including the esophagus and stomach, and symptoms may include difficulty swallowing and severe heartburn.

The use of a feeding tube, followed by slow reintroduction of solid foods to the diet, has allowed Tylor Savage to eat more foods, but eosinophilic disorders are not considered curable at this time.

More information about EE:

Comments

February 18, 2008 at 8:54 am
(1) linda savage says:

its tys mum we now on no food just being tube fed any advice please

March 29, 2009 at 5:37 pm
(2) Ruth Langdon says:

my daughter is so ill everytime she eats. she is on a wheet, gluten, milk free and many many other foods she carnt eat, but no specialist can find out whats wrong with her,im now looking up your sons illness it may give me some help

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