Frequent report of vitamin deficiencies and use of supplements and complementary/alternative treatment approaches in patients with eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) impact nutrition. Objectives: To assess the frequency of vitamin deficiencies, supplement use, and complementary/alternative-medication (CAM) use in EoE and non-EoE EGID patients. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: We surveyed members of EGID Partners ( egidpartners.org ), a patient-centered research network, to assess physician-diagnosed vitamin deficiencies, supplement use, and use of CAM in patients with EoE versus non-EoE EGIDs. Results: Of 81 EGID patients (58 EoE and 23 non-EoE EGID), self-reported frequency of vitamin deficiencies were higher in non-EoE EGIDs compared to EoE (61% vs 50%; p = 0.38; Table 1). Most patients (77%) indicated taking vitamins or supplements, with higher frequency in non-EoE EGID cases (87% vs 72%; p = 0.16). Use of >30 different supplements was reported. For CAM, herbal approaches were more frequent in non-EoE EGIDs compared to EoE (26% vs 5%; p = 0.008). Conclusion: Vitamin deficiencies and supplement/CAM use are frequent in EGIDs, highlighting the need for additional EGID treatment.
Institutions: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, Eosinophilic Family Coalition, QLT (Canada), Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, University of North Carolina Health Care
Language: English
Topic: Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: National Institutes of Health
OpenAlex ID: W4408462522
