A CASE STUDY
OF AN INFANT WITH HYPEREOSINOPHILIA COMPLICATED WITH FOOD-INDUCED ATOPIC
DERMATITIS: ANALYSIS OF SERUM INTERLEUKIN-5 LEVELS
Saeki T, Noma T, Miyata Y, Kenmochi M, Sugawara Y, Ishikawa Y,
Matsuura N
Department of Pediatrics, Kitasato University School of
Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
Objective: Eosinophilia may be present
in the patients with atopic dermatitis, but hypereosinophilia has been
rarely reported. We described a
case of an infant with hypereosinophilia complicated with food-induced
atopic dermatitis.
Case: The patient
presented with growth retardation, hypoproteinemia and mild liver
dysfunction. A complete blood count obtained on first examination showed an
elevated absolute eosinophil count of 15,520 per cubic millimeter. The serum
IgE level was elevated. The serum levels of specific IgE to egg white, cow,s
milk and soybean were also elevated. The initiation of therapy with
oxatomide and mequitazine was not effective. After oral corticosteroid
therapy, the patient,s condition improved and hypereosinophilia
resolved. The serum levels of interleukin-5, but not IL-4 and eataxin, were
elevated compared with healthy control and correlated with peripheral
eosinophil count. However the eosinophil count did not always reflect the
clinical conditions and eosinophilic infiltration in the skin lesion did
not prominent.
Conclusion: The combined results indicate
that hypereosinophilia, which unlikely play a central role for clinical
manifestation in this patient, caused by the specially elevated serum
levels of interleukin-5.