Children who are living with complex food allergies or food intolerances combined with gastrointestinal issues need care that provides the right nutrition to maintain their health. The Eosinophilic Disease Program at Riley at IU Health provides family-centered clinical care and education to children and families living with food allergies and eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs).
Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell associated with allergies and parasitic infections that can affect the esophagus, stomach and intestines. The Eosinophilic Disease Program serves children from infancy through age 18 whose gastrointestinal symptoms strongly point to an eosinophilic disorder and children who are already diagnosed with an eosinophilic disorder such as:
- Eosinophilic esophagitis. This condition affects the esophagus.
- Eosinophilic gastritis. A process that mainly affects the stomach.
- Eosinophilic gastroenteritis. A process that involves the stomach and small intestine.
- Eosinophilic colitis. This condition impacts the large intestine (colon).
Most eosinophilic disorders are hard to diagnose. In many cases, children learn to live with their condition by using different ways to cope with their symptoms. Children with eosinophilic conditions may take a lot of time and effort to chew their food, drink lots of water and avoid textures that bother the throat.
We use a multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat your child. Our team will work with you to coordinate your child’s care and educate your child and family about the condition. We understand that EGIDs can change the life of the entire family. We partner with you and your child to provide integrated, total care for these conditions.
The Eosinophilic Disease Program at Riley at IU Health—also called Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Service (GIEDS)—is recognized as a leading national center for diagnosing and treating EGIDs.
After a diagnosis, your child’s health will be monitored regularly through our Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Service. The multidisciplinary center sees patients twice a month and offers appointments with board certified pediatric gastroenterologists, allergists, feeding therapists, dietitians, psychologists and nurses.
Our team provides ongoing evaluations of your child’s specific condition and health as well as any education and resources you and your family may need. Regular appointments with our team allow our doctors to adjust your child’s medicines and diet as needed.
If it is relevant to your child, he or she may have the chance to take part in a research study to learn more about EGIDs and their treatments. These studies take place at the Indiana University School of Medicine and through many national and international research efforts. We are part of the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR), and the National Institutes of Health and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fund some of our research.
Conditions & Services
Conditions Treated
Our pediatric specialists provide patient- and family-centered care for most related conditions. The links below provide more specific information about some, but not all, of the conditions that we treat.
Services Offered
We offer a number of different Eosinophilic Disease Program services. Below are some, but not all, of the services that we provide. If you have a question about a specific service that is not listed here, please contact our program.
Doctors and
Locations
Doctors
Care provided through the Eosinophilic Disease Program is coordinated by the specialized doctors at the Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Service clinic.
Locations
Locations
In addition to our primary hospital location at the Academic Health Center in Indianapolis, IN, we have convenient locations to better serve our communities throughout the state.
Sort through 6 facilities offering Eosinophilic Disease Program care by entering your city or zip below.
Related Departments
Related Departments
We provide multispecialty care for a number of conditions. Below are links to our related departments.
Health Professionals
For Health Professionals
Diagnosis of eosinophilic conditions can be challenging. Working together, we can advance our understanding of these conditions. In addition to working with referring physicians, we offer ongoing opportunities to learn and collaborate with other pediatric specialists, including hands-on programs and lectures.
Refer A Patient
Riley at IU Health works with referring physicians in Indiana and beyond.
Refer A PatientResearch
Visit the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition at Indiana University School of Medicine for information about the latest research in the field of gastroenterology.
Education
In partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine, Riley at IU Health provides excellent training opportunities for medical students, residents and fellows.