HISTORY: An 81-year-old man, previously good health, suddenly developed confusion and rapidly progressive severe tetraparesis. INVESTIGATIONS: Peripheral blood and bone marrow revealed marked eosinophilia: allergic, parasitic, neoplastic or vasculitic causes were excluded. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated multiple lesions in the cortical and subcortical white matter. DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND COURSE: The findings indicated idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome involving the central nervous system and treatment with high doses of glucocorticoids was started. After a stormy course almost complete recovery occurred. CONCLUSION: Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome can rarely manifest itself a an isolated severe subacute encephalopathy.
HISTORY: An 81-year-old man, previously good health, suddenly developed confusion and rapidly progressive severe tetraparesis. INVESTIGATIONS: Peripheral blood and bone marrow revealed marked eosinophilia: allergic, parasitic, neoplastic or vasculitic causes were excluded. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated multiple lesions in the cortical and subcortical white matter. DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND COURSE: The findings indicated idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome involving the central nervous system and treatment with high doses of glucocorticoids was started. After a stormy course almost complete recovery occurred. CONCLUSION:Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome can rarely manifest itself a an isolated severe subacute encephalopathy.
Authors: Ole Weis Bjerrum; Volkert Siersma; Hans Carl Hasselbalch; Bent Lind; Christen Lykkegaard Andersen Journal: Ann Med Surg (Lond) Date: 2019-07-09