Friday, February, 10, 2012

Simple pulmonary eosinophilia (Loeffler's syndrome)

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Pulmonary infiltrates with eosinophilia; Loeffler syndrome


Symptoms
  • Chest pain
  • Dry cough
  • Fever
  • General ill feeling
  • Rapid respiratory rate
  • Rash
  • Shortness of breath
  • Wheezing

The symptoms can range from none at all to severe. They may go away without treatment.


Signs and tests

The health care provider will listen to your chest with a stethoscope. Crackle-like sounds called rales may be heard. Rales suggest inflammation of the lung tissue.

A complete blood count (CBC) may show increased white blood cells, particularly eosinophils.

Chest x-ray usually shows abnormal shadows called infiltrates. They may disappear with time or reappear in different areas of the lung.

A bronchoscopy with washing may show a large number of eosinophils.

Gastric lavage may show signs of the Ascaris worm or another parasite.


Review Date: 06/02/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Denis Hadjuliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Uniersity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)