DEFB1 and eosinophilic esophagitis: Differently, a previous study by Schroeder et al. [109] revealed that diminished expression of hBD1 and hBD3 could make the esophageal epithelium more susceptible to the development and/or perpetuation of EoE; the authors observed that specimens from EoE pediatric patients revealed a significant decrease in mRNA and protein expression for hBD1 and hBD3 compared to esophageal biopsy specimens from gastroesophageal reflux disease and control children [109].