Food Impaction With Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Living With Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Food Impaction With EoE: What You Need to Know

Food Impaction With EoE: What You Need to Know
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Published on February 13, 2026
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If you have eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), you’re likely familiar with having some discomfort when you’re eating. The chronic condition — characterized by inflammation in the esophagus — can make swallowing certain foods difficult and lead to other symptoms, such as chest discomfort and heartburn.

Those difficulties, while a nuisance, are usually manageable. But if you have EoE, you’re also at risk of a more extreme situation called food impaction, which can quickly go from uncomfortable to life threatening. Here’s how to deal with this urgent complication — and help prevent it in the first place.

What Is Food Impaction?

Over time, inflammation from EoE can damage and narrow the esophagus, causing a food impaction, which is “when food is stuck in the esophagus and cannot be propelled down into the stomach by the esophagus,” says Mary Ann Huang, MD, a hepatologist and gastroenterologist at HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke’s in Denver. “Typically, a food bolus, or clump of food, is stuck somewhere in the esophagus.”

A food impaction can cause symptoms such as chest pain, choking, drooling, and dysphagia (trouble swallowing).

 People usually know they need to seek urgent care, because symptoms are so extreme, says Ashkan Farhadi, MD, a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. “Nothing goes down — not even your saliva.”
Not everyone with EoE will develop a food impaction. One study found it affected 16 percent of people with EoE and tended to affect men more often than women. But because it can quickly become critical, it’s important to know how to respond if you feel like you’re experiencing symptoms.

How to Treat Food Impaction

People often try to dislodge the food on their own with fluids or by jumping up and down. But if the food bolus doesn’t quickly pass on its own, go to the emergency room right away, says Dr. Huang.

“Often, it’s necessary for a patient to undergo an upper endoscopy to remove the food bolus,” she says. During the endoscopy, a gastroenterologist will use a scope to view the inside of the esophagus and attach a tool to the scope to remove the bolus. Doctors may be able to pull the food out from your esophagus or push it down to keep it moving through your gastrointestinal tract.

If left untreated, food impaction can cause a rupture or perforation in your esophagus. There are also long-term complications. “Patients can develop scarring of the esophagus, resulting in stricture and recurrent food impactions, and potentially leading to malnutrition and dehydration,” says Huang.

How to Prevent Food Impaction

It’s a good idea to make note of which foods you have trouble swallowing and consider avoiding them — or at least chewing them very thoroughly.

“Foods that usually get stuck and cause an impaction are usually dry and need to be chewed well,” says Dr. Farhadi. A lot of times, people develop an impaction with chicken, rice, steak, and sometimes bread, he adds.

Most important, seeing a gastroenterologist for EoE is key, says Huang. Medications such as biologics, corticosteroids, and proton pump inhibitors may help lower the risk of food impaction by reducing inflammation.

The Takeaway

  • Food impaction is a risk for people with EoE. It’s considered a medical emergency and needs prompt care.
  • If you start to experience symptoms of food impaction, don’t wait it out. Severe chest pain, choking, drooling, or the feeling that nothing — not even saliva — will go down is a sign to head to the ER right away.
  • To lower your risk of food impaction if you have EoE, chew your food thoroughly, and be cautious with dry or dense foods, such as bread, meat, and rice.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Hiremath GS et al. Esophageal Food Impaction and Eosinophilic Esophagitis: A Retrospective Study, Systematic Review, and Meta-Analysis. Digestive Diseases and Sciences. November 2015.
  2. Alhmoud T et al. The Risk of Esophageal Food Impaction in Eosinophilic Esophagitis Patients: The Role of Clinical and Socioeconomic Factors. Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology. 2022.
  3. EGD Procedure (Upper Endoscopy). Cleveland Clinic. November 27, 2024.
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Yuying Luo, MD

Medical Reviewer

Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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Laurel Leicht has been a writer and editor for nearly two decades. A graduate of the College of William and Mary and the master's program at the Missouri School of Journalism, she covers a wide range of health and fitness topics, including breast cancer, various chronic conditions, mental health, and cardiovascular health.

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