Off Label Use of Infliximab in Adult Patients With Severe Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2007-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the esophagus with a
constantly increasing prevalence. It has been demonstrated that the expression of the
cytokine TNF-α is up regulated in EE and that this pro-inflammatory cytokine is highly
expressed by the keratinocytes of the esophageal epithelium in patients with active EE.
Furthermore, it has been shown that TNF-α is capable to induce eotaxin-3 production in
keratinocytes. These results suggest that TNF-α plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of
EE. Based on these findings, the investigators plan a prospective T1 translational study with
the purpose to evaluate the efficacy of an Infliximab monotherapy in adult patients with
severe, corticosteroid-dependent EE.