Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE) can be challenging to manage, with its range of symptoms, varying severity, and significant impact on daily life. A clinical tool, the Index of Severity for Eosinophilic Esophagitis (I-SEE), developed earlier by CEGIR researchers, has the potential to change how we assess and treat this chronic immune condition by offering a clearer picture of disease severity.

This study, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, aimed to determine whether I-SEE is associated with patient characteristics, molecular features of EoE, or both.

Key Insights from the Research

Researchers examined a group of 318 patients, including both adults and children, to see if I-SEE could accurately reflect clinical symptoms and molecular markers of EoE. 

Research Findings

• Children with EoE tend to score higher on symptoms and complications in the I-SEE, meaning they may experience more pronounced symptoms than adults.
• Adults scored higher on inflammatory and fibrostenotic changes (thickening or scarring in the oesophagus), suggesting that as people with EoE age, the disease may progress and impact their oesophagus differently.
• EoE diagnostic panel (EDP) score correlated with the total I-SEE score and both inflammatory and fibrostenotic features scores, but not with symptoms and complications scores.
• Molecular severity increased from inactive to mild and moderate, but not to severe categories. 
• Longitudinal changes of modified I-SEE scores and inflammatory and fibrostenotic features scores reflected histologic and molecular activity.

Conclusions

The research on the I-SEE score has shown encouraging results, indicating that this tool may help provide a clearer picture of EoE severity by linking clinical features with underlying molecular characteristics. However, there are some important points to consider. 

The I-SEE score reliably reflects both clinical symptoms and molecular markers in nonsevere EoE cases. This makes it a promising tool for patients with mild to moderate forms of the disease.

For severe cases, the I-SEE score doesn’t fully capture the molecular complexity of EoE. This suggests that severe EoE might involve more intricate biological processes that I-SEE doesn’t yet account for.

While I-SEE shows great potential, more research is needed to confirm its accuracy across all severity levels, especially in severe cases.

Read the full publication

Learn more about the I-SEE Tool

I-SEE Online Tool

Related materials:

Eosinophilic Diseases Research: Past, Present and Future

Learn more about EoE

EoE in Children and Teens. Educational Videos

EoE in Adults. Educational Videos

Eosinophilic Voices. Stories of people living with Eosinophilic Diseases