All posts by Amity Westcott-Chavez

New CEGIR Site Announced

Press Releases, What's New

Contacts:
Jennifer Knowles, University of Utah, Phone: (801)-587-9050, E-mail: Jennifer.Knowles@hsc.utah.edu  

Mary Jo Strobel, American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, Phone: (713)-493-7749, Email: mjstrobel@apfed.org

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

(ATLANTA, GA)—The American Partnership of Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) and University of Utah (U of U) are excited to announce that the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) has recently added the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah as the newest CEGIR site.  The U of U is open to enroll patients (ages 3-100) into the CEGIR 7801 Study: OMEGA—A Prospective, Multicenter Study to Compare and Validate Endoscopic, Histologic, Molecular and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Pediatric and Adult Patients with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), Gastritis (EG) and Colitis (EC)*.

EoE, EG and EC are eosinophil-associated diseases (EADs).  EADs are chronic inflammatory disorders characterized by elevated levels of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) in one or more specific places in tissues, organs, and/or bloodstream, which in turn causes inflammation and damage.  Specifically, EoE, EG and EC are Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases (EGIDs) which means that there are elevated levels of eosinophils in the gastrointestinal tract.

CEGIR is conducting the OMEGA study because they want to learn more about EGIDs.  As part of that goal, one area of study will compare how well a patient feels—their symptoms—with what the tissue samples look like under a microscope.  The study is designed to give researchers and clinicians a better idea of the correlation of symptoms to the tissue, help them find clues about the disease in the tissue samples and assess how this information could be used in the future to help guide diagnosis and treatment plans.

If you would like to learn more about the OMEGA study and see if you may be eligible to participate, please visit: https://www.rarediseasesnetwork.org/cms/cegir/7801 .  If you are interested in seeing if you can participate in this study at University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah please contact Jennifer Knowles using the phone number and/or e-mail address listed above.

*The OMEGA study is currently only enrolling patients with EG and/or EC and has been closed to EoE patients.  Patients with a diagnosis of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis (EGE) or Eosinophilic Duodenitis (ED) can contact a study coordinator for additional eligibility details.

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About The American Partnership of Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)

APFED is a non-profit organization dedicated to patients and their families coping with eosinophilic disorders.  APFED’s mission is to passionately embrace, support and improve the lives of patients and families affected by eosinophil-associated diseases through education and awareness, research, support and advocacy. Learn more about APFED and our upcoming patient education conference held in collaboration with CEGIR and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (July 25-27, 2019 in Washington, DC) at www.apfed.org

About University of Utah (U of U)

University of Utah Health is the Mountain West’s only academic health care system, combining excellence in patient care, the latest in medical research, and teaching to provide leading-edge medicine in a caring and personal setting. The system provides care for Utahns and residents of five surrounding states in a referral area encompassing more than 10 percent of the continental United States.

Whether it’s for routine care or highly specialized treatment in orthopedics, stroke, ophthalmology, cancer, radiology, fertility, cardiology, genetic-related diseases, organ transplant, or more than 200 other medical specialties, University of Utah Health offers the latest technology and advancements, including some services available nowhere else in the region.

As part of that system, University Hospitals & Clinics relies on more than 1,400 board-certified physicians and more than 5,000 health care professionals who staff four hospitals:

 

U of U Health also has 12 community clinics and several specialty centers, which include:

 

Consistently, ranked #1 in quality in the nation among academic medical centers, our academic partners at the University of Utah include a School of Medicine and Dentistry, and Colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy, and Health, which are internationally regarded research and teaching institutions.

 

About the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR)

CEGIR (U54AI117804) is a part of the NCATS Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN).  RDCRN is an initiative of the Office of Rare Diseases (ORDR), NCATS, funded through a collaboration between the NCATS, the NIAID and the NIDDK.  CEGIR is also supported by patient advocacy groups including APFED, CURED and EFC.  www.rdcrn.org/cegir

Applications Accepted for APFED Scholarship Honoring Haley Royko

Announcements, APFED Blog, What's New

APFED is now accepting applications for the Haley Royko Memorial Scholarship, established in memory of a remarkable community member who sadly passed away last year at a young age. To learn more and apply for this $1,000 college scholarship for the 2019-2020 school year, please visit: https://apfed.org/college-scholarship/. The deadline to apply is May 31, 2019.

Update on New ICD-10-CM Codes for Subsets of Eosinophilic Diseases

Announcements, APFED Blog, What's New

Over the past year, APFED and the International Eosinophil Society (IES) partnered to propose and jointly advocate for eight unique and distinct ICD-10-CM Codes for subsets of eosinophilic diseases and for four amendments to existing codes. In early March, APFED Board Member Kathleen Sable and IES President Dr. Bruce Bochner were invited to Baltimore, MD to present the justification for the new codes and amendments to members of the to the ICD Coordination and Maintenance Committee, co-chaired by the  National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

New Codes Proposed

1.       Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia

2.       Chronic Eosinophilic Pneumonia

3.       Eosinophilic Asthma

4.       Myeloid Hypereosinophilic Syndrome

5.       Lymphocytic Variant Hypereosinophilic Syndrome

6.       Idiopathic Hypereosinophilic Syndrome

7.       Episodic Angioedema with Eosinophilia, also known as Gleich’s Syndrome

8.       Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS)

Amendments

·    Distinct code for Eosinophilic Gastritis

·    Distinct code for Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis

·    Eosinophilic Colitis, redefining which conditions can be coded as EC

·    Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA), updating existing code to include EGPA (new name), previously known as Churg-Strauss

The proposal for the new codes and the amendments was well received. Following a review period, a decision will be made on the proposed code changes.

The ICD-10-CM coding system is an international classification system that groups related disease and procedures for the purpose of reporting statistical information. These codes provide a uniform language and serve as an effective means for reliable nationwide communication among physicians, patients, and third parties. These codes are necessary for billing, insurance and medical records, and national statistics. Codes also have substantial benefits to the patient community, including promoting research into these diseases, new clinical trials, and successful insurance reimbursement for patients.

In 2008, APFED led efforts for the establishment of medical codes for eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases, which greatly advanced research efforts and national health resource allocation in the U.S. for these diseases.

2019 AAAAI/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs Award Recipients Announced

Press Releases, Uncategorized, What's New

Award winners recognized for best-scoring abstracts focused on eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease

(Atlanta, GA)— The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) today announced the two recipients of the 2019 AAAAI/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs Awards. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), the awards recognize outstanding research abstracts on eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs).  APFED funded two $750 awards to the best-scoring abstracts by a Fellow-in-Training and a Member.

The awards are intended to help defray travel costs to the meeting so that the researchers may present their findings to their peers. Abstract award winners may go on to successfully compete for grants from APFED or from other funding mechanisms.

The 2019 AAAAI/APFED Best Abstracts on EGIDs recipients are Basil M. Kahwash, MD (Fellow-in-Training), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, for his abstract entitled “Peripheral Blood Microarray Analysis in Pediatric Patients with Eosinophilic Esophagitis,” and Catherine Sonaly Ferreira Martins, MD (Member), Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, for her abstract entitled “EoE, OIT and Anaphylaxis: an unsolved puzzle.”

Catherine Sonaly Ferreira Martins, MD (Member)
Basil M. Kahwash, MD (Fellow-in-Training)

The awards were made possible thanks to the generous donations to APFED’s HOPE on the Horizon Research Program, which has enabled the organization to contribute more than $2 million for the research of eosinophil-associated diseases since the fund began in 2005.

About the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)

The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to passionately embrace, support, and improve the lives of patients and families affected by eosinophil-associated diseases through education and awareness, research, support, and advocacy. www.apfed.org

About the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 7,000 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. The AAAAI’s Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.

 

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Research Updates

APFED Blog, Research, What's New
  • A paper published in the January issue of Annals of Allergy & Immunology describes case reports of patients who developed IgE-mediated allergic reactions and anaphylaxis after reintroducing foods following an elimination diet for EoE. “It appears there is a small, but real, risk of a more serious IgE type food reaction developing in EoE patients after a period of restriction,” the authors noted. “Means to identify those at risk is needed and will help direct which patients should have in-office, physician supervised, graded food challenges, continued restriction, or at home food reintroduction. Further epidemiologic and immunologic studies are needed to gain insight into this increasingly recognized phenomenon.”
  • APFED HOPE Grant recipient Dr. Ting Wen recently completed his research project titled, “Defining Esophageal Lymphocyte Phenotype and Function in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.” “The T helper lymphocyte type 2 (Th2) is a type of white blood cell capable of producing Th2 cytokines and that supports accumulation of another type of white blood cell, eosinophils,” Dr. Wen explains. “We found that certain human gastrointestinal bacteria metabolites (short-chain fatty acids) could enhance the Th2 cytokine production by Th2 lymphocytes, potentially causing EoE, and our proposed studies are expected to provide a detailed understanding of the regulatory role of short-chain fatty acids to Th2 cytokine production by Th2 lymphocytes.”
  • Knopp Biosciences LLC is advancing its investigational drug, dexpramipexole, into Phase 2 development in severe asthma and Phase 3 development in hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). Read more.
  • In a recent publication in the Journal of Immunology, researchers find that Charcot–Leyden Crystals (CLCs), which are protein crystals that can form after the degranulation of eosinophils and appear and persist in tissues of patients who have eosinophilic disorders, may play a role in sustaining inflammation. Learn more.
  • A recent paper published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology discusses the relationship between EoE and achalasia, as well as other esophageal motility abnormalities. The researchers suggest that EoE may manifest in a mucosal-predominant or muscle-predominant form, each associated with different clinical manifestations. Learn more.
  • A publication in the journal Gut describes associations with childhood obesity and antibiotics, histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) used during the first two years of life. The authors note that alterations in gut microbiota are linked to obesity, and early exposure to antibiotics and acid suppressants may alter the microbiota and in turn increase the likelihood of weight gain. Read more.