79. Heart transplantation in a patient with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangitis (Churg–Strauss syndrome)

Abstract

Churg–Strauss syndrome, recently renamed eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangitis (EGPA), was first described in 1951. It is characterized by blood and tissue eosinophilia and disseminated necrotizing vasculitis in asthmatic patients (1). Heart involvement is the leading cause of death in most of these patients which occurs in approximately 8–20% of EGPA patients and is more frequent in ANCA −-ve patients (2). Case: We report a 32 years old man with Churg–Strauss syndrome. He presented with a history of bronchial asthma and corticosteroid treatment. The patient developed severe heart failure necessitating heart transplantation in May 2014. His post operative course was uneventful except for tricuspid regurgitation which subsided during the first two months follow-up. Up till now, the patient has had 5 endomyocardial biopsies with no evidence of acute rejection (grade 0) or recurrence of EGPA. Conclusion: Only 9 patients with EGPA (Churg–Strauss syndrome) who received heart transplantation have been reported in a retrospective international multicentre study (3). To our knowledge this is the 10th case of heart transplantation in a patient with EGPA (Churg–Strauss syndrome).