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Simple pulmonary eosinophilia - Symptom

Alternative Names

Pulmonary infiltrates with eosinophilia; Loeffler syndrome

Symptoms:

The symptoms can range from none at all to severe. They may go away without treatment.

Signs and tests:

The health care provider will listen to your chest with a stethoscope. Crackle-like sounds called rales may be heard. Rales suggest inflammation of the lung tissue.

A blood count test shows increased white blood cells, particularly eosinophils.

Chest x-ray usually shows abnormal shadows called infiltrates. They may disappear with time or reappear in different areas of the lung.

A bronchoscopy with washing may show a large number of eosinophils.

Gastric lavage may show signs of the ascaris worm.

Lungs

Respiratory system

Reviewed last on: 2/16/2007
Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

References

Mason RJ, Murray J, VC Broaddus, Nadel J. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2005:1679-1695.

Grainger RC, Allison D, Adam, Dixon AK. Diagnostic Radiology: A Textbook of Medical Imaging. 4th ed. Orlando, Fl: Churchill Livingstone; 2001:600,895.

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