Korean Journal of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology  2003;10(2):269-276

A Case of Idiopathic Hypereosinophilic Syndrome Treated Successfully with Hydroxyurea and Interferon alpha-2b.

Gi Hoon YANG 1 ; Eun Young PARK ; Hye Lim JUNG ; Deok Soo KIM ; Jae Won SHIM ; Jung Yeon SHIM ; Moon Soo PARK

Affiliations

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Keywords

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome; Hydroxyurea; Interferon alpha-2b

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

The idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndromes are rare hematologic disorders showing a wide spectrum of diseases with eosinophilia and associated organ damage. Three criteria for diagnosis include persistent eosinophilia of at least 1, 500 eosinophils/mm3 for longer than 6 months, or death before 6 months with signs and symptoms of hypereosinophilic disease; lack of evidence for parasitic, allergic or other known causes of eosinophilia; and signs and symptoms of organ involvement. We report a case of a 8 month-old male patient who had persistent marked eosinophilia reaching peak eosinophil count more than 100, 000/mm3, and organ dysfunction involving the bone marrow, heart, brain, lung and spleen. This patient, who did not respond to administration of prednisolone or hydroxyurea alone, has been treated successfully with hydroxyurea and interferon alpha-2b combination therapy.