Löffler syndromeJ82.x0

Author:Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer

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Last updated on: 30.01.2023

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Synonym(s)

Eosinophilic (volatile) lung infiltrate; Lung infiltrate eosinophiles

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HistoryThis section has been translated automatically.

Spoonbill, 1932

DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.

Volatile pulmonary infiltrates associated with blood eosinophilia. The term should be left in favour of the collective term "eosinophilic pneumonia".

EtiopathogenesisThis section has been translated automatically.

Parasites (Ascaris lumbricoides, Strongyloides, Ancylostoma duodenale, Larva migrans, Schistosomiasis, Trichuris trichiura, Taenia saginata), drugs (nitrofurantoin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, chemotherapeutic drugs, immunosuppressants esp. Fumarate), idiopathic genesis as well as other factors (post partum, smoke inhalation, blood transfusion, lymphography).
It is probably an inflammatory-allergic reaction to various antigens in the alveoli.

Clinical featuresThis section has been translated automatically.

Acute clinical picture with fever, cough and dyspnoea; blood eosinophilia with leukocytosis (usually > 20,000/μl);

radiological lung infiltrates, which can migrate and dissolve within weeks. The rapid and benign clinical course is a "conditio sine qua non".

In addition to eosinophilic lung infiltrates, prolonged eosinophilia can lead to inflammatory eosinophilic myocarditis and eosinophilic fibroblastic endocarditis (Löffler's endocarditis). The endocardium can become several millimetres thick, often with thrombi (see restrictive kaardiomyopathy below).

DiagnosisThis section has been translated automatically.

Clinically and radiologically without histological examination of the lung changes.

LiteratureThis section has been translated automatically.

  1. Beninati W, Derdak S, Dixon PF et al (1993) Pulmonary eosinophils express HLA-DR in chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. J Allergy Clin Immunol 92: 442-449
  2. Löffler W (1932) For the differential diagnosis of lung infiltrations. I. Early infiltrates with special consideration of the recovery times. Beitr Klin Tbk 79: 338-367
  3. Nishio M, Ohata M, Suruda T et al (1992) Idiopathic acute eosinophilic pneumonia. Internal Med 31: 1139-1143
  4. Savani DM et al (2002) Eosinophilic lung disease in the tropics. Clin Chest Med 23: 377-396
  5. Watanabe K et al (2002) Acute eosinophilic pneumonia following cigarette smoking: a case report including cigarette-smoking challenge test. Internal Med 41: 1016-1020

Authors

Last updated on: 30.01.2023

Author: Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer