Effect of diethylcarbamazine on the alveolitis of tropical eosinophilia.

Bronchoalveolar lavage studies in 33 patients with acute untreated tropical eosinophilia have demonstrated intense eosinophilic alveolitis. Following treatment with a standard 3-week course of diethylcarbamazine, there was a significant fall in lung eosinophils (p less than 0.001). However, a mild alveolitis characterised by hypercellular lavage fluid due to a significant increase in absolute alveolar macrophages (p less than 0.001) and due to an increase in both the absolute number (p less than 0.01) and percentage of eosinophils (p = 0.02) was persisting at 1 month despite treatment. Long-term follow-up is essential to know the fate of alveolitis.