A limited form of Churg-Strauss syndrome: ocular and cutaneous manifestations

Abstract

A case that supports the concept of a limited form of Churg-Strauss allergic granulomatosis was studied. The patient had a syndrome that was initially confined to the conjunctiva and subsequently displayed cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions. At no time was there any evidence of systemic involvement. Asthma appeared ten years before the onset of the present disease. The characteristic histologic findings consisted of diffuse tissue eosinophilia, and eosinophilic necrotizing and nonnecrotizing granulomatosis. The last, as well as conjunctival involvement, has not been previously described in Churg-Strauss syndrome to our knowledge. Thus, this entity most likely represents a variant of the classic Churg-Strauss syndrome, lacking the multiple organ system involvement that occurs in the latter. The patient responded well to therapy with corticosteroids and as of this writing has been free of disease for about 2 1/2 years.