Abstract
Eosinophilic peritonitis has recently been reported as one of the entities of peritonitis which develops by an aseptic mechanism in patients on CAPD. Five cases who developed eosinophilic peritonitis within 3 weeks after insertion of a peritoneal catheter are reported from among the 60 patients who started CAPD in Mitsui Memorial Hospital. The initial sign of peritonitis was cloudy CAPD effluent in all cases, but there were no symptoms and all recovered without therapy. Although an allergic reaction to the CAPD system has been suggested as the cause of eosinophilic peritonitis, the chemical and/or mechanical stimuli associated with insertion of a peritoneal catheter may cause eosinophic peritonitis directly because 4 cases developed peritonitis within 5 days after starting CAPD. The disinfectant for the laparoscope used for insertion of the peritoneal catheter was also considered to be a possible cause of peritonitis in 2 of these cases. Antibiotics are not needed because the eosinophilic peritonitis resolves without therapy.
