CC: dyspnea
ID: 40 yo female presents with 7 weeks of progressively worsening dyspnea and non-productive cough that have persisted despite a course of azithromycin. She was found to have diminished breath sounds bilaterally and a CBC with WBC of 20.3 and 43% eosinophils. She denied any recent travels, but admits to frequent “purification rundown” treatments with the Church of Scientology. She underwent a BAL that showed predominant eosinophils and a thoracentesis with 85% eosinophils. She was ultimately diagnosed with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia, thought to be secondary to her purification treatments (high doses of niacin). She was started on steroids with improvement in symptoms; however, each time she stopped steroid therapy and got more purification treatments, her symptoms would flare up.
Don’t forget:
The causes for peripheral eosinophilia can be broadly categorized into 2 mnemonics: CHINA or NAACP.
- C – connective tissue disease
- H – helminthic disease
- I – idiopathic/iatrogenic
- N – neoplastic
- A – allergic/asthma
- N – neoplastic
- A – allergic
- A – asthma/atopic
- C – connective tissue disease
- P – parasites
Pearls from morning report:
- An absolute eosinophil count (AEC) > 20,000 should raise suspicion for malignancy.
- Bacterial infections very rarely cause eosinophilia.
- > 25% eosinophils on BAL is suggestive of a diagnosis of acute eosinophilic pneumonia, and > 40% for chronic eosinophilic pneumonia.
- Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia may appear on CXR as ‘photographic negative of pulmonary edema’ and is considered pathognomonic for the disease.
Random trivia:
Purification rundown treatments were developed by the Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The goal goal was designed to remove LSD from the body using a restricted diet and large doses of vitamins.
Want to read more?
Eosinophilia (The New England Journal of Medicine)
Eosinophilic Lung Disease (Clinical Chest Medicine)
References:
Weller PF, Klion AD, Mahoney DH, Bochner BS, Rosmarin AG, Feldweg AM. Approach to the patient with unexplained eosinophilia. In: UpToDate, Post TW (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA. (Accessed on March 28, 2017)
Klion AD, Weller PF, Bochner BS, Hollingsworth H. Causes of pulmoanry eosinophilia. In: UpToDate, Post TW (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA. (Accessed on March 28, 2017)