Peripheral neuropathy in hypereosinophilic syndrome

We evaluated seven patients with the hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) to define the clinicopathologic spectrum of the peripheral neuropathy. Clinically, three had evident polyneuropathy; the others were asymptomatic, although they had electrophysiologic evidence of neuropathy. Nerve conduction studies and EMG were compatible with axonal neuropathy. Morphometry of sural nerves from four patients ranged from normal to marked axonal loss, more prominent in large myelinated fibers. Demyelination was rare, and there was no evidence of vasculitis. Neuropathy may be produced by an eosinophil-derived neurotoxin.

[1]  R. Dahl,et al.  The Gordon phenomenon induced by the eosinophil cationic protein and eosinophil protein X. , 1982, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[2]  S. M. Sumi,et al.  Neurotoxicity of human eosinophils. , 1979, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[3]  D. Durack,et al.  Purification of human eosinophil-derived neurotoxin. , 1981, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[4]  F. Buchthal,et al.  Alcoholic neuropathy: Clinical, electrophysiological, and biopsy findings , 1977 .

[5]  P. Watkins,et al.  Cardiac Denervation in Diabetes , 1973, British medical journal.

[6]  J. Harley,et al.  Distinctive cationic proteins of the human eosinophil granule: major basic protein, eosinophil cationic protein, and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin. , 1983, Journal of immunology.

[7]  S. Wolff,et al.  THE HYPEREOSINOPHILIC SYNDROME: Analysis of Fourteen Cases With Review of The Literature , 1975, Medicine.

[8]  A. Fauci,et al.  Therapy of the hypereosinophilic syndrome. , 1978, Annals of internal medicine.

[9]  D. Loegering,et al.  Cytotoxic properties of the eosinophil major basic protein. , 1979, Journal of immunology.

[10]  L. Forno,et al.  Neuropathy in the hypereosinophilic syndrome , 1983, Muscle & nerve.