How to Diagnose Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders (EGID)
Look for feeding difficulties., Monitor your appetite., Determine if you have difficulty swallowing foods.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Look for feeding difficulties.
In children, especially toddler and infants, EGID often manifests as feeding difficulties.For instance, when children are normally able to consume solid foods (usually at about six months old), a child with EGID might cough up, gag on, or make hacking sounds when given solid foods.
This behavior could lead you to puree foods or limit the amount of solid food in your child’s diet.For instance, if your child hacks up rice every time you feed it to them, they might have EGID.
Make a note of behavior patterns with certain foods to discuss with your doctor.
In the meantime, you can mix the rice with water and blending it into a slurry to make it more digestible.
Alternatively, you could feed your child something else entirely like baby food or mashed potatoes.
Difficulties of this sort might also occur in older individuals. -
Step 2: Monitor your appetite.
People with EGID often have a poor appetite.
If you find that you eat far less than you used to, or eat much less than others of a similar age and body type, you might have EGID.
A secondary effect related to the small appetite in EGID patients is a marked weight loss or failure to gain weight when you should.For example, if you used to eat an apple, a waffle, and a cup of juice for breakfast, but now can only manage to consume the cup of juice because you are worried about choking or experiencing nausea after eating, you might have EGID.
In children with EGID, they might not grow as fast as their peers because they do not eat as much as they should., Difficulty swallowing food (dysphagia) is a typical symptom in individuals with EGID.
If you cannot easily swallow food, or find that you need to wash down each bite with a drink of water, you might have EGID.One of the common manifestations of dysphagia is food impaction.Food impaction occurs when food – typically something tough or thick like bones of meat or fish – becomes lodged in the esophagus.
If your esophagus is consistently clogged and you find yourself choking on your food frequently, this may be due to EGID. -
Step 3: Determine if you have difficulty swallowing foods.
Detailed Guide
In children, especially toddler and infants, EGID often manifests as feeding difficulties.For instance, when children are normally able to consume solid foods (usually at about six months old), a child with EGID might cough up, gag on, or make hacking sounds when given solid foods.
This behavior could lead you to puree foods or limit the amount of solid food in your child’s diet.For instance, if your child hacks up rice every time you feed it to them, they might have EGID.
Make a note of behavior patterns with certain foods to discuss with your doctor.
In the meantime, you can mix the rice with water and blending it into a slurry to make it more digestible.
Alternatively, you could feed your child something else entirely like baby food or mashed potatoes.
Difficulties of this sort might also occur in older individuals.
People with EGID often have a poor appetite.
If you find that you eat far less than you used to, or eat much less than others of a similar age and body type, you might have EGID.
A secondary effect related to the small appetite in EGID patients is a marked weight loss or failure to gain weight when you should.For example, if you used to eat an apple, a waffle, and a cup of juice for breakfast, but now can only manage to consume the cup of juice because you are worried about choking or experiencing nausea after eating, you might have EGID.
In children with EGID, they might not grow as fast as their peers because they do not eat as much as they should., Difficulty swallowing food (dysphagia) is a typical symptom in individuals with EGID.
If you cannot easily swallow food, or find that you need to wash down each bite with a drink of water, you might have EGID.One of the common manifestations of dysphagia is food impaction.Food impaction occurs when food – typically something tough or thick like bones of meat or fish – becomes lodged in the esophagus.
If your esophagus is consistently clogged and you find yourself choking on your food frequently, this may be due to EGID.
About the Author
Gregory Thompson
Creates helpful guides on lifestyle to inspire and educate readers.
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