Charcot-Leyden crystals are slender, hexagonal, bipyramidal crystals formed predominantly from eosinophil but also from basophil granules composed of a single protein of 17,400 daltons of lysophospholipase activity. It has been identified in a variety of body fluids and tissues in human tissues and secretions in association with eosinophilic inflammatory reactions, asthma, myeloid leukemias, and allergic, parasitic, and other diseases. In this report, we describe a child with bronchial obstruction and subsequent atelectasis caused by Charcot-Leyden crystals containing fibronous material who was treated with flexible bronchofiberscope to remove it.
Asthma ; Basophils ; Body Fluids ; Child ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; Lysophospholipase ; Pulmonary Atelectasis

Conjunctivitis of allergic origin is associated with a diversity of clinical presentation. The common features include pronounced itching, a milky conjunctival appearance, a stringy or ropy discharge & papillary hypertrophy of the tarsal conjunctiva in severe cases, and a family history of allergy. The pathogenesis of ocular allergy involves multiple mechanisms, which lead to mast cell degranulation & the release of chemical mediators. The current therapy of ocular allergy involves elimination of the offending allergen, modulation of the immune system, & pharmacologic inhibition of chemical mediators. We are reporting 5 cases of severe allergic keratoconjunctivitis.
Conjunctiva ; Conjunctivitis ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hypertrophy ; Immune System ; Keratoconjunctivitis ; Mast Cells ; Pruritus