Randev Shivani, Kumar Pankaj, Dhillon Prabhjot, Jindal Geetanjali, Guglani Vishal
a Department of Pediatrics , Government Medical College Hospital , Chandigarh , India.
Paediatr Int Child Health. 2018 Aug;38(3):231-234. doi: 10.1080/20469047.2017.1319541. Epub 2017 May 10.
Tropical pulmonary eosinophilia (TPE) is an exaggerated immunological response to filarial antigens mainly seen in adults in endemic areas and is uncommonly reported in children. The diagnosis is frequently delayed as it mimics asthma clinically, while the chest radiograph might show miliary mottling which is often confused with that in pulmonary tuberculosis. A 5-year-old girl presented with episodes of nocturnal cough, wheeze, low grade fever and breathlessness for the previous 4 months and was being treated for asthma. The absolute eosinophil count was markedly raised (53 × 10/L) with prominent bilateral infiltrates on the chest radiograph. Serology for microfilaria and a test for microfilaria antigens were positive and the patient showed a dramatic response to diethylcarbamazine, which confirmed the diagnosis of TPE. TPE is an important differential diagnosis of asthma especially in endemic areas.
热带肺嗜酸性粒细胞增多症（TPE）是对丝虫抗原的一种过度免疫反应，主要见于流行地区的成年人，儿童中罕见报道。由于其临床症状类似哮喘，诊断常常延迟，而胸部X线片可能显示粟粒状斑点，常与肺结核的表现相混淆。一名5岁女孩在过去4个月中出现夜间咳嗽、喘息、低热和呼吸急促症状，一直在接受哮喘治疗。绝对嗜酸性粒细胞计数显著升高（53×10/L），胸部X线片显示双侧明显浸润。微丝蚴血清学检查和微丝蚴抗原检测均为阳性，患者对乙胺嗪有显著反应，这证实了TPE的诊断。TPE是哮喘的重要鉴别诊断，尤其是在流行地区。
