All issues > Volume 37(7); 1994

Case Report

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1994;37(7):1020-1027. Published online July 15, 1994.

A Case of Idiopathic Hypereosinophilic Syndrome

Bin B Cho¹, Jin Tack JT Kim¹, Joon Sung JS Lee¹, Kyoo Hong KH Cho¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Catholic University Medical College, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

The idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome(HES) represents a heterogenous group of disorder characterized by prolonged eosinophilia of undetectable cause and multiorgan system dysfunction. Bone marrow is the most frequentry involved organ, but the most severe clinicopathologic involvement is heart. The major cause of death in patients with the HES is cardiac dysfunction especially congestive heart failure resulted from endocardial fibrosis and restrictive cardiomyopathy. We have experienced a case of HES with both cardiac and pulmonary involvements. The patient was an 18-month-old infant with poorly controlled lung abscess who complained of fever and productive cough. On the microscopic examination of pleural effusion, eosinophilic infiltration was noted. M-mode echocardiogram showed diffuse thickening of interventricular septum and left ventricular posterior wall. On the peripheral blood smear, prolonged eosinophilia was observed. We confirmed this case with marrow aspiration which showed eosinophilic hyperplasia.

Keywords :Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome, Eosinophilia, HES