[Idiopathic eosinophilia with ascites (case report)]

Hypereosinophilia can present a diagnostic problem if initial diagnostic procedures (medical history, physical examination and basic laboratory exams) fail to reveal the cause. Persistent finding of hypereosinophilia in such patients demands diagnostic intervention in order to rule out neoplastic and lymphoproliferative diseases, chronic inflammatory diseases of respiratory and gastrointestinal system and skin, and other inflammatory and postinflammatory conditions. If these disorders are ruled out, consideration should also be given to the diagnosis of primary hypereosinophilia, including idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. The paper presents a patient with significant elevation of absolute and relative numbers of eosinophils in whom the only physical pathologic finding was eosinophilic ascites. Extensive diagnostic investigation did not prove secondary character of abnormalities, and since all pathologic findings receded during 7-month observation without treatment, the conclusion was that the disorder was benign.