Classification and differentiation of eosinophilic lung disease with acute clinical courses

Abstract

To clarify both the etiology of acute eosinophilic lung diseases (AELDs) and the factors that differ between eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) and other AELDs, we retrospectively analyzed patients with AELDs who were admitted to Saitama Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center. Among 82 patients with AELDs, the etiologies included chronic eosinophilic pneumonia in 28, acute eosinophilic pneumonia in 14, drug-induced lung disease in 18, and other causes. When compared with patients with other AELDs, those with EGPA were predominantly female, differed frequently in terms of neural symptoms, certain blood and bronchoalveolar lavage findings, endobronchial lesions, and certain complications (asthma, myocarditis, and pericarditis). These may be clues for differentiating EGPA from other AELDs.