Prevalence of Eosinophilic Esophagitis Among Ethnic Groups in a Private vs a Safety-Net Hospital in Southern California

Q: What was the purpose of comparing the two hospital settings?

To compare EoE prevalence between a private facility and a safety-net hospital and to examine whether prevalence differed among Hispanics across both settings.

Q: How was EoE diagnosed in the study?

EoE diagnosis was based on clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic criteria.

Q: What did the study find about EoE prevalence among Whites versus Hispanics?

EoE prevalence was significantly higher among Whites than Hispanics.

Q: Did hospital setting or primary language affect EoE prevalence among Hispanics?

No. Within the Hispanic subgroup, neither hospital setting nor primary spoken language showed a significant association with EoE.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) shows a rising incidence, with higher prevalence reported in Whites than in Hispanics, while the drivers of this disparity remain unclear. A retrospective cross-sectional study compared adult patients undergoing upper endoscopy for dysphagia, food impaction, or EoE between a private tertiary hospital and a safety-net hospital. Among 1005 patients, EoE prevalence was higher in the private hospital (10.5% vs 1.9%, P < .001), yet multivariable results showed lower EoE odds for Hispanics versus Whites. Within Hispanics, neither hospital setting nor primary language was significantly associated with EoE, suggesting potential intrinsic factors such as genetics.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Gastro Hep Advances 2026;5:100840 ORIGINAL RESEARCH—CLINICAL Prevalence of Eosinophilic Esophagitis Among Ethnic Groups in a Private Vs a Safety Net-Hospital in Southern California Ibrahim Abboud,1 Susie Lee,2 Jordan Stellern,2 Andrew Cruz,2 Nicholas Placone,2 Jennifer Dodge,3 Collin Mayemura,4 Anisa Shaker,2 ,3 and Edy Soffer2 ,3 1School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California; 2Department of Medicine, Swallowing and Esophageal Disorders Center, Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; 3Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; and 4Scripps Clinic and Green Hospital, Division of Gastrointestinal and Hepatology, San Diego, California. BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is rapidly increasing in incidence and prevalence. It is more prevalent among Whites as compared to Hispanics. The reasons for this disparity remain unclear. We aimed to compare EoE Prevalence between a private facility and a safety-net hospital, the latter treating a larger proportion of foreign-born Spanish-speaking patients, and to examine differences in prevalence among Hispanics across both facilities. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of adult patients who underwent upper endoscopy for dysphagia, food impaction, or EoE at 2 medical centers. The primary outcome was a diagnosis of EoE, based on clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic criteria. Logistic regression was employed to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for EoE. RESULTS: Of 1005 patients, a higher proportion of Hispanic (73.3% versus 19.7%) and Spanish-speaking patients (64.8% versus 7.6%) received care at the safety-net hospital. Overall, 70 (7.0%) patients were diagnosed with EoE, with a higher prevalence atthe private versus safety-net hospital (10.5% versus 1.9%; P <.001) . In a multivariable analysis, odds of EoE remained lower for Hispanic vs White patients (OR = 0.20, 95% CI (0.1–0.5), P < .01), after adjustment for hospital setting and primary language. Within the Hispanic subgroup, neither the hospital setting (OR = 1.90, 95% CI (0.3–13.9), P = .53) nor primary spoken language (OR = 0.56, 95% CI (0.1–4.1), P = .56) showed a significant association with EoE. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of EoE was significantly higher among Whites than Hispanics. Among Hispanics, the prevalence of EoE was not influenced by hospital setting or primary language. These results suggest that intrinsic factors, including possible genetic influences, may contribute to the disparity in EoE prevalence between the 2 groups. Keywords: Eosinophilic esophagitis; Ethnicity; Genetics; Hispanics; Whites Introduction Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic allergen/ immune-mediated esophageal disease presenting clinically with symptoms of esophageal dysfunction such as dysphagia and food impaction and histologically witheosinophil-predominant inflammation.1 Although initially considered a disease of young White males with the typical presentation of solid food dysphagia and food impaction, further studies recognized EoE in both genders, across age groups and ethnicities, with more varied presentations2, 3 and increased frequency.4 The etiology of EoE remains incompletely understood. Food antigens and other poorly understood environmental factors, interacting, perhaps, with the esophageal mucosa with impaired integrity, are believed to be the trigger for the cascade of immunologic reactions resulting in the pathologic findings of eosinophilic infiltration.5–7 On the other hand, the effects of race8,9 and ethnicity, and in particular the difference between Hispanics and non-Hispanics,10, 11 suggest a contribution by genetic factors to the etiology of EoE. We sought to compare the prevalence of EoE in 2 distinct health care settings: a private tertiary hospital and a safetynet hospital. T

FAQs

What was the purpose of comparing the two hospital settings?

To compare EoE prevalence between a private facility and a safety-net hospital and to examine whether prevalence differed among Hispanics across both settings.

How was EoE diagnosed in the study?

EoE diagnosis was based on clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic criteria.

What did the study find about EoE prevalence among Whites versus Hispanics?

EoE prevalence was significantly higher among Whites than Hispanics.

Did hospital setting or primary language affect EoE prevalence among Hispanics?

No. Within the Hispanic subgroup, neither hospital setting nor primary spoken language showed a significant association with EoE.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet