Een patiënt met eosinofiele polymyositis

- In a 36-year-old patient with a severe polymyositis peripheral eosinophilia and abundant infiltration of muscle tissue by eosinophilic granulocytes were observed. Eosinophilic polymyositis was diagnosed. Treatment consisted of high dose prednisone, immunoglobulin and azathioprine, resulting in complete remission of the disease. Idiopathic eosinophilic polymyositis is an uncommon disorder, first described in 1976. The eosinophilic granulocyte is essential in the pathogenesis (by releasing toxic mediators and the production of cytokines), but the cause of the activation is still unknown. Treatment is aimed at immune suppression and consists first of all in administration of prednisone.