[Eosinophilic diseases of the lungs].

Pulmonary eosinophilias belong to a heterogenous group of the diseases characterized by pulmonary shadows related to pulmonary tissue and/or peripheral blood eosinophilia. Although the inflammatory infiltrate consists of macrophages, lymphocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils, a significant marker for the diagnosis and treatment is eosinophilia. By etiology eosinophilic diseases of the lungs fall into primary or idiopathic (common pulmonary eosinophilia, chronic eosinophilic pneumonia, hypereosinophilic syndrome), secondary or of known origin (allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillesis, bronchocentric granulematosis, parasitic invasions, drug-induced reactions, fungal and mycobacterial infection, pulmonary diseases caused by radiation or toxins). Pulmonary eosinophilia can be also associated with systemic diseases (Churg-Strauss syndrome) and tumors. Clinicoroentgenological picture of different eosinophilic diseases of the lungs is almost the same. Verification of the diagnosis is based on the presence of bronchial asthma and extrapulmonary manifestations, the level of eosinophilia in the blood, bronchoalveolar lavage and total IgE, histological and chest CT findings. This article presents modern classification, clinicoroentgenological and histological characteristics of different, primarily idiopathic, eosinophilic diseases of the lungs.