Gupta Nitin, Ray Animesh, Ghosh Sudeshna, Malla Sundeep, Vyas Surabhi
Departments of Medicine and Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Drug Discov Ther. 2018;12(1):55-57. doi: 10.5582/ddt.2018.01005.
Tropical pulmonary eosinophilia (TPE) is a rare allergic manifestation to the filarial nematode. A 38-year old male and a 15-year old female presented with cough and breathlessness. Their complete blood count showed eosinophilia. This finding was overshadowed by the radiological findings suggestive of tuberculosis. The diagnosis of TPE was confirmed by filarial antigen detection test and both the patients were successfully treated with diethylcarbamazine. TPE presents with cough and breathlessness and can be often confused with tuberculosis, especially in endemic settings. An important clue in differentiating the two entities is the presence of eosinophilia in the former.
热带肺嗜酸性粒细胞增多症（TPE）是一种罕见的对丝虫线虫的过敏表现。一名38岁男性和一名15岁女性出现咳嗽和呼吸急促症状。他们的全血细胞计数显示嗜酸性粒细胞增多。这一发现被提示结核病的放射学检查结果所掩盖。通过丝虫抗原检测试验确诊为TPE，两名患者均用乙胺嗪成功治疗。TPE表现为咳嗽和呼吸急促，在地方流行地区常与结核病混淆。区分这两种疾病的一个重要线索是前者存在嗜酸性粒细胞增多。
