Prospective Analysis of an Abdominal Symptom Scoring Tool's Efficacy in the Clinical Distinction of Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis from Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Methods A clinical scoring tool that evaluates the presence and severity of 7 abdominal symptoms consisting of heartburn/regurgitation, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, nocturnal awakening, anorexia/early satiety, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, and dysphagia on a scale of 0-2 (0, not present; 1, intermittent; 2, persistent) was administered to 24 control children (none with eczema) seen in the Dermatology clinic, 24 children with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma seen in the Allergy clinic, 24 children with GERD not on acid reducing medications, and 36 children with histologically defined EE (>20 eosinophils per hpf) not on therapy.