Esophageal involvement as an initial manifestation of Churg-Strauss syndrome.
Cuvinte cheie
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a systemic disease characterized by asthma, blood and tissue eosinophilia, and necrotizing vasculitis with extravascular eosinophilic granulomas.
METHODS
We describe two cases of patients with CSS: a 56-year-old man, whose presentation was highly unusual because its initial predominant manifestation was odynophagia, and a 35-year-old man whose disease was diagnosed after a work-up because of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In both cases, thoracic computerized tomography scans showed congestive esophagitis with a markedly thickened esophageal wall at diagnosis and at relapse. Both the vasculitis and the esophageal involvement improved with treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement is frequent in CSS patients and is one of the major causes of death associated with CSS. Nonetheless, eosinophilic vasculitis-related esophagitis is very rare.
