Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia: clinical perspectives

Abstract

Matthew Crowe,1 Drew Robinson,2 Malvika Sagar,3 Li Chen,4 Shekhar Ghamande1 1Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Baylor Scott and White Medical Center, Temple, TX, USA; 2Department of Medicine, Baylor Scott and White Medical Center, Temple, TX, USA; 3Department of Pediatrics, Baylor Scott and White McLane Children’s Specialty Clinic Temple, Temple, TX, USA; 4Department of Pathology, Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Temple, Temple, TX, USA Abstract: Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) is an eosinophilic lung disease that is typically diagnosed by a triad of clinical symptoms including pulmonary symptoms, eosinophilia and characteristic radiographic abnormalities. It requires a high index of suspicion given its overlap with other eosinophilic conditions and lack of a specific diagnostic test. The diagnosis is made after careful consideration of other secondary causes of eosinophilia, such as infectious, drugs, or toxic etiologies. CEP generally responds rapidly to treatment, which primarily consists of corticosteroid therapy, but relapses are common. Novel therapies are being explored as more information is being discovered about the pathophysiology of eosinophilic disease processes. Close follow-up is important given the difficulty in weaning patients from glucocorticoids with many patients developing sequelae of chronic glucocorticoid therapy. Therefore, exploring alternative treatments is of upmost importance. Keywords: eosinophilic, mepolizumab, infiltrates, BAL, IL-5, lung, prednisone  

Keywords

• chronic
• eosinophilic
• pneumonia
• lung
• prednisolone
• omalizumab
• mepolizumab