Korean J Med.
2013 Apr;84(4):502-508.
Acute and Chronic Eosinophilic Pneumonias
- Affiliations
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- 1Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Korea. pulsy0309@hotmail.com
Abstract
- Although eosinophils may rise to 5-25% of the cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in a variety of conditions, more than 25% eosinophils in BAL fluid strongly suggest one of the eosinophilic pneumonias. Acute eosinophilc pneumonia (AEP) is a sudden and febrile illness that can results in life-threatening respiratory failure, frequently misdiagnosed as severe community-acquired pneumonia. Most patients respond rapidly and completely to glucocorticoids, generally without relapse. Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) is a protracted disease of usually more than a month before presentation, with mild to moderate hypoxemia. The disorder is highly responsive to glucocorticoid therapy, but recurs frequent when tapering or after stopping glucocorticoid therapy. Some patients have a history of asthma at diagnosis or develop severe asthma at some time in the follow-up. There are significant relationships between asthma and chronic eosinophilc pneumonia.
