Endomyocardial fibrosis
Overview
The hypereosinophilic syndrome (HS) is a disease process characterized by a persistently elevated eosinophil count (≥ 1500 eosinophils/mm³) in the blood for at least six months without any recognizable cause after a careful workup, with evidence of involvement of either the heart, nervous system, or bone marrow
Symptoms
* Cardiomyopathy * Skin lesions * Thromboembolic disease * Pulmonary disease * Neuropathy * Hepatosplenomegaly * Reduced ventricular size
Diagnosis
Numerous techniques are used to diagnose hypereosinophilic syndrome, of which the most important is blood testing. In HS, the eosinophil count is greater than 1.5 × 109/L. On some smears the eosinophils may appear normal in appearance, but morphologic abnormalities, such as a lowering of granule numbers and size, can be observed. Roughly 50% of patients with HS also have anaemia.
Treatment
Treatment primarily consists of reducing eosinophil levels and preventing further damage to organs. Corticosteroids, such as Prednisone, are good for reducing eosinophil levels and antineoplastics are useful for slowing eosinophil production. Surgical therapy is rarely utilised, however splenectomy can reduce the pain due to spleen enlargement. If damage to the heart (in particular the valves, then prosthetic valves can replace the current organic ones