Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome associated with cutaneous infarction and deep venous thrombosis

S Narayan1, F Ezughah, G R Standen

  • 1Department of Dermatology, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, UK. shalini@snarayan.fsnet.co.uk

We report a case of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) presenting with cutaneous infarction and subsequent extensive deep vein thrombosis. The eosinophilia improved dramatically with systemic corticosteroid therapy. A variety of skin disorders have been associated with HES, although there are no previous reports of HES associated with cutaneous infarction. HES is a rare disorder characterized by a sustained overproduction of eosinophils and multisystem disease. The aetiology of the eosinophilia remains uncertain but clonal populations of abnormal T-cells producing interleukin 5 may be implicated.

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