When Anna Lis had a migraine, she decided to take an ibuprofen and the pill became lodged in her throat.

This wasn’t the first occasion that she had had trouble swallowing pills — but this time was different.

It required a trip to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville.

“(Doctors) discovered my esophagus looked pale, had rings, had two tears and a hole,” said Lis, who was 14 at the time.

She was diagnosed with Eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic immune system disease in which a type of white blood cell, called an eosinophil, builds up in the lining of the esophagus, which connects a person’s mouth to their stomach, according to the Mayo Clinic.

This buildup, a reaction to foods, allergens or acid reflux, can inflame or injure the esophageal tissue. Damaged tissue can lead to difficulty swallowing or cause food to get stuck when you swallow.

“Difficulty swallowing (called dysphagia) is usually only painful if the food actually gets stuck, if it is just slow to move or the esophagus quickly spasms — think a Charlie-horse — then patients avoid difficult foods, make modifications and think everyone may eat that way,” said Dr. Elizabeth Sinclair, co-medical director of the Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases Clinic at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

A person shouldn’t have to modify food by cutting it into small pieces or pureeing. They should not have to avoid hard-textured foods or chew excessively or turn away pills, Sinclair said.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about having to take a sip of water every time you take a bite,” Sinclair said. “A pill should not have gotten stuck in a teen with a normal esophagus.”

Statistics

Eosinophilic esophagitis affects about 1 out of 2,000 patients in the United States, with a higher prevalence rate in adults, 43.4 out of 100,000, than in children 29.5 out of 100,000, according to the National Library of Medicine.

About two-thirds of patients will have environmental allergies, asthma, eczema and food allergies. If detected early enough, it is highly treatable. Something she most likely had for years, Lis, now 17, of Baldwin, just thought it was normal to have trouble swallowing.

“EoE (Eosinophilic esophagitis) is hard because it’s a slowly progressive disease and those symptoms can be insidious,” Sinclair said. “You don’t even notice how bad it’s getting.”

Anytime Sinclair hears that patients have anxiety and fear around eating right, it’s a red flag, she said. Sometimes people might think they put too big a piece of food in their mouth or that they are eating too fast.

Sinclair describes what can happen through a model in her office that shows that most people start with a normal, healthy esophagus. Eosinophilic esophagitis begins with inflammation and, if untreated, progresses to fibrosis — scar tissue. Increased scar tissue builds up, leading to narrowing of the esophagus as well as impaired motility — movement of the muscle, muscle spasms, Sinclair said.

For Lis, treatment included a feeding tube through her nose for most of the summer when she was 14 years old to allow her esophagus to heal.

The feeding tube was uncomfortable, but Lis said she got used to it and learned to administer her own feeds multiple times a day. Lis was then introduced to clear liquids and weeks after that, soft foods, then finally normal foods, but avoiding milk, the assumed trigger.

“I felt more in control doing it myself,” Lis said. “I felt more empowered when I did things to help myself get better.”

In remission

Her esophagus healed and she is in remission, which means minimal symptoms and a normal appearing esophagus under endoscopy — she no longer meets criteria for EoE.

It is unclear if this is hereditary, Sinclair said. But it is a chronic disease — similar to Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, type one diabetes in that if you don’t treat it, it’s going to get worse, Sinclair said.

“The thing about EoE is there are no lab tests to track it,” Sinclair said. “It requires a sedated endoscopy for most patients.”

Lis has handled the experience with a positive attitude, Sinclair said. When Lis asked Sinclair about riding a roller coaster at an amusement park, while having the feeding tube, Sinclair recommended a calmer ride like the merry-go-round.

“Anna was very patient,” Sinclair said. “She was definitely scared when I met her and had that pill stuck in her throat. She was very uncomfortable. She has been a great sport about it.”

‘I admire her’

Her positivity is her personality, said Chris Reilsono, who taught Lis at Baldwin High School. Lis always looks at the bright side of things, Reilsono said.

”I admire her,” Reilsono said.

Lis’ diagnosis inspired her to want to go into the medical field. The 2025 Baldwin High School graduate plans to enroll in the physician assistant program at Slippery Rock University and aspires to specialize in gastrointestinal diseases and raise awareness of Eosinophilic esophagitis.

“It was a scary time,” Lis said. “It affected my social life. I still tried to go out and do things. The treatment felt long. I want to raise awareness.”

Lis urges people to say something if they have symptoms such as trouble swallowing food. She felt that if she had said something earlier, her recovery would not have been as long.

She still has a dairy-free diet and is on some medication. She said she misses eating ice cream and still struggles with taking pills.

”The fact that Anna wants to be there to help others is incredibly noble,” said Reilsono. “It speaks to her character. She will make a positive impact.”

Lis said she has a future because of the treatment she received from Sinclair and Dr. Feras Alissa at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. They and their team saved her life. Lis said she is thankful they valued her case.

“I think that’s great that she wants to help others,” Sinclair said. “A lot of times, patients are inspired by their own medical journey to help other people.”

Hope is vital

Lis said it was a mentally exhausting time for her and her family. She said her parents, Amy and Leonard Lis, and her brother Leonard are her biggest supporters. Her entire family and friends and medical team and teachers, including Reilsono, have been there the entire time. They understand that she has to be careful with certain foods.

“It has been heart-wrenching watching her go through this,” her brother said. “I know she was in pain. I empathize with all she’s gone through.”

In the last 20 years, several epidemiological studies showed a significant increase in incidence and prevalence of Eosinophilic esophagitis, especially in children in Western Countries, varying widely across North America and Europe, Sinclair said.

She said it is both becoming more common and better recognized, but the rate of disease outpaces the increased recognition, suggesting a true increase in disease over time, she said. There are currently no labs to track Eosinophilic esophagitis.

There is research being done to develop a biomarker to track Eosinophilic esophagitis, but it does not currently exist, Sinclair said.

“The stigma around allergies is horrible, they are deadly, they are real, and they affect everyday aspects of everyone’s lives,” Lis said. “The more education on EoE, the more lives that we can help. I urge everyone to donate to a trusted EoE research and support.”

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