Risk Factors and Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Treatment of EoE

June 23, 2026 updated by: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Purpose: To validate our previously developed model of risk factors for diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), and to assess the utility of serum levels of biomarkers in diagnosis and monitoring of treatment of EoE. Participants: Up to a total of 800 participants (approximately 400 with EoE and 400 without EoE) who are referred for upper endoscopy. Procedures: This is a prospective cohort study. Patients will be compared with newly diagnosed EoE to non-EoE controls, obtain baseline measures, reassess EoE patients after treatment, and also reassess untreated controls. Data collection will include questionnaire results, blood collection, and tissue collection (esophageal biopsies performed during upper endoscopy per pre-specified protocol). Blood will be analyzed for the presence of the candidate biomarkers. Patients will be compared with newly diagnosed EoE to non-EoE controls, obtain baseline measures, reassess EoE patients after treatment, and also reassess untreated controls. Data collection will include questionnaire results, blood collection, possible saliva collection, possible urine collection, and tissue collection (esophageal biopsies performed during upper endoscopy per pre-specified protocol). Blood will be analyzed for the presence of the candidate biomarkers, including eotaxin-3 and IL-13.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
800

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
        • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The source of the study population will be patients aged 18 or older presenting at the gastrointestinal (Gl) Endoscopy Clinic at UNC-Chapel Hill for elective upper endoscopy with dysphagia and/or reflux symptoms.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Referral for upper endoscopy (esophagogastroduodenoscopy; EGD) to evaluate specific symptoms (dysphagia, heartburn, reflux, chest pain, regurgitation, abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting).
  2. Age 18 or older

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Acute GI bleeding.
  2. Known cancer of the esophagus, stomach, or small bowel.
  3. Prior esophageal resection.
  4. Esophageal varices.
  5. Active anticoagulation or bleeding diathesis.
  6. Medical instability (determined by the performing endoscopist) to precludes performing EGD.
  7. Pregnancy
  8. Inability to read or understand the consent form and questionnaire.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Dysphagia and GERD controls

The cross-sectional arm will consist of patients who are having a clinically indicated endoscopy for reflux and/or dysphagia.

Cross-sectional participants will have specimens collected and complete a questionnaire.
Other: Specimen Collection
Blood collection, possible saliva collection, possible urine collection, and biopsy collection
Other: Questionnaires
Subjects will complete a questionnaire utilizing validated symptom-specific instruments (Mayo Dysphagia Scale; GERD-HRQL Scale). The questionnaire will also record patient demographics, medical history, and current and past medication use
Prospective Longitudinal EoE Cases

The prospective longitudinal group will be subjects who have a positive EoE diagnosis during initial endoscopy. This prospective group will be followed up at their clinically indicated endoscopy after their standard of care clinical therapy of swallowed steroids.

Prospective longitudinal participants will have specimens collected and complete questionnaires s prior to their standard of care clinical therapy of swallowed steroids and at their clinically indicated follow up upper endoscopy.
Other: Specimen Collection
Blood collection, possible saliva collection, possible urine collection, and biopsy collection
Other: Questionnaires
Subjects will complete a questionnaire utilizing validated symptom-specific instruments (Mayo Dysphagia Scale; GERD-HRQL Scale). The questionnaire will also record patient demographics, medical history, and current and past medication use

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Risk factors in EoE diagnosis
Time Frame: Enrollment (day 1)
To validate our model of clinical, endoscopic, and histopathologic risk factors for diagnosis of EoE by calculating the EoE risk score which includes subject's age, allergic conditions, endoscopic findings, and eosinophil count. Subject's EoE risk scores will be compared between EoE patients and two non-EoE control groups: patients with dysphagia and patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who are not responsive to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy.
Enrollment (day 1)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Inflammatory serum biomarker measures
Time Frame: Enrollment (day 1)
To assess operating characteristics of serum biomarkers eotaxin-3 and IL-13 for diagnosis of incident cases of EoE as compared with two non-EoE control groups: patients with dysphagia and patients with GERD who are not responsive to PPI therapy.
Enrollment (day 1)

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Serum biomarker change following treatment in EoE cases
Time Frame: Enrollment (Day 1) and approximately 8 weeks after initial EGD
To determine the effect of clinically indicated topical steroid therapy on non-invasive serum biomarkers eotaxin-3 and IL-13 for monitoring treatment response in incident EoE cases.
Enrollment (Day 1) and approximately 8 weeks after initial EGD

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Evan S Dellon, MD, MPH, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 28, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 17, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 17, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 25, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 13, 2013

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 20, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 23, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 11-1122
  • K23DK090073 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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