[A case of hypereosinophilic syndrome associated with paraplegia]

Abstract

We report a 3-year-old girl with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. She was admitted to our hospital because of fever, cough, significant eosinophilia (16,500/microliter) and an elevated serum IgE level (114,685 u/ml). After wheezes continued for several days, paraplegia, dysuria and dyschezia developed. CSF, chest roentgenogram and spinal MRI were normal, as well as motor and sensory conduction velocities of the median and tibial nerves. Flaum's hematologic score was 4. Treatment with prednisolone resulted in remission of neurological symptoms and a rapidly normalization of the eosinophil count. During the following months, eosinophilia reappeared with tapering the medication, but there was no recurrence of neurological signs. Glucocorticoid therapy was discontinued after 21 months.