Pediatric Eosinophilic Disorders Program

Children's Health℠ offers one of the few comprehensive pediatric programs in the U.S. that takes a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to treating chronic gastrointestinal inflammation.

Our program, called the Dallas Eosinophilic GI Diseases and Esophagitis Program (DEEP), provides innovative, specialized care for children with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs), such as eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). EGIDs make swallowing and digesting food difficult for children. They are often seen in children who have other allergic disorders like asthma and food allergies.

Our team includes pediatric gastrointestinal, allergy, nutrition and psychology specialists. At Children’s Health, we know that your child’s disorder can affect many aspects of their daily life and well-being. That’s why we approach your child’s care by combining our varied expertise to treat every aspect of their EGID.

DEEP treats children out of our Dallas and Plano locations andis the only program of its kind in Texas. Each member of our team is highly trained in the needs of children with EGIDs. We’ll work with your child to create a care plan tailored to their needs and lifestyle preferences.

Conditions We Treat

A Family's Gratitude

J Belle’s family thought she had GERD as a baby but didn’t give up when she wasn’t getting better. Connecting with the DEEP team at Children’s Health meant the family finally arrived at a diagnosis of EoE and more importantly, a plan to treat it.

“Not many places have a dedicated EoE practice,” said her dad. “That’s one of the blessings of Children’s.”

Treatments and services

Your child’s care team will work to remove triggers from your child’s diet. They will also offer treatments to help eliminate the swelling in your child’s digestive system.

Treatments to remove triggers include three main types of nutrition plans:

Allergen elimination. This nutrition plan removes common trigger foods such as milk, soy, eggs, peanuts, wheat and seafood from your child's diet for a while. Then, your child will reintroduce these foods one by one to help identify which are causing the inflammation in their digestive system.
Targeted elimination. This nutrition plan is determined by allergy testing and eliminates all foods your child may be allergic to from their diet.
Elemental. This liquid formula diet is made up of essential vitamins, minerals and protein. If your child is allergic to a certain protein (soy, whey, etc.), the elemental diet will use a broken-down version of the allergen to make it safe for your child to ingest. That way, your child can still get the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy.

Treatments to reduce or eliminate swelling in your child’s digestive system might include:

Proton pump inhibitors. These oral medications reduce stomach acid and help with inflammation.
Swallowed topical steroids. Swallowing steroid medication can reduce inflammation in the esophagus.
Esophageal dilation. This treatment for EoE involves stretching a narrowed part of your child’s esophagus using an endoscope.

Ongoing education nights empower patient families

Once each year, we host education nights where we share:

Medical insights
Research updates
Best practices with the EoE community

These events help patients and their families gain the information they need to make key care decisions.

My daughter has been through a lot, but Dr. Goyal has been amazing.
Amanda, mom

Tackling all aspects of your child’s EGID

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs) are conditions that lead to inflammation in the colon, stomach or esophagus (the hollow tube that carries food and liquid from your throat to your stomach). They can cause problems for your child’s breathing, eating, digestion, growth, sleeping, pain levels and mental health. That’s why our team brings together pediatric specialists from gastrointestinal, allergy, nutrition and psychology.

Our team of experts meet each week to discuss the care and progress of the children we treat. At Children’s Health, you can trust that your child’s doctors are on the same page and up to speed – our entire team is always closely following your child’s health journey.

The care you need, all in one place

Our centralized approach means your child can see all their providers in one place, during the same visit. That means they can access all the elements of their care faster and you won’t have to schedule, travel to or manage as many appointments.

Our team will work with your family to develop your child’s treatment plan. Your child will have access to top-of-the-line diagnostics, monitoring, psychological support and allergy and nutrition management available at Children’s Health.

Ensuring long-term health

Though there is no known cure for any EGIDs, children who have these disorders can often manage their symptoms with medication and changes to their diet.

Consistent treatment is the best way to improve your child’s long-term health and quality of life. Our team will do everything we can to help your child stick to their care plan. We consider your child’s lifestyle preferences, overall health, age and development as we create their customized plan. Our goal is to develop a program that your child can commit to for the long haul.

We know helping your child stick to their care plan is a group effort. Our whole team is by your side, offering care and support to your family along the way.

Treatments and services

Your child’s care team will work to remove triggers from your child’s diet. They will also offer treatments to help eliminate the swelling in your child’s digestive system.

Treatments to remove triggers include three main types of nutrition plans:

Allergen elimination. This nutrition plan removes common trigger foods such as milk, soy, eggs, peanuts, wheat and seafood from your child's diet for a while. Then, your child will reintroduce these foods one by one to help identify which are causing the inflammation in their digestive system.
Targeted elimination. This nutrition plan is determined by allergy testing and eliminates all foods your child may be allergic to from their diet.
Elemental. This liquid formula diet is made up of essential vitamins, minerals and protein. If your child is allergic to a certain protein (soy, whey, etc.), the elemental diet will use a broken-down version of the allergen to make it safe for your child to ingest. That way, your child can still get the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy.

Treatments to reduce or eliminate swelling in your child’s digestive system might include:

Proton pump inhibitors. These oral medications reduce stomach acid and help with inflammation.
Swallowed topical steroids. Swallowing steroid medication can reduce inflammation in the esophagus.
Esophageal dilation. This treatment for EoE involves stretching a narrowed part of your child’s esophagus using an endoscope.

Ongoing education nights empower patient families

Once each year, we host education nights where we share:

Medical insights
Research updates
Best practices with the EoE community

These events help patients and their families gain the information they need to make key care decisions.

Tackling all aspects of your child’s EGID

The care you need, all in one place

Ensuring long-term health

Though there is no known cure for any EGIDs, children who have these disorders can often manage their symptoms with medication and changes to their diet.

We know helping your child stick to their care plan is a group effort. Our whole team is by your side, offering care and support to your family along the way.

Managing her EoE isn't easy, but Bella refuses to give up

Bella is the modern version of a Renaissance (wo)man. She's a high school junior who excels in academics and manages the school wrestling team. She has a close-knit group of friends and family, was recently promoted at her job and is a talented vocalist who is teaching herself to play guitar. She is also in the midst of a life-changing search for answers as she manages a chronic illness that has knocked her down several times in her life – but Bella refuses to give up.

A young boy with EoE finds comprehensive care at Children's Health

Just before his fourth birthday, Liam began experiencing some gastroenterological issues. He had trouble keeping his food down and would often choke while eating, an issue his parents were familiar with since Liam had struggled with dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, as a newborn.

A young GERD patient gets answers after 10 years

For the past 10 years, Gentiana and her family have searched for answers to chronic gastroenterological issues she has dealt with since birth. As an infant, Gentiana suffered from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Since then, she has seen a number of pediatricians, and her symptoms included difficulty swallowing, an itchy throat, abdominal pain and poor appetite. Each time, her doctors prescribed medications to help relieve the symptoms, but the issues never really went away.