Granule core loss in eosinophils from a patient with aspirin-induced asthma: an electron microscopic study

Aspirin and other antiinflammatory drugs except steroid hormones precipitate asthmatic attacks in some patients with nasal polyps. The respiratory reaction can be severe and life-threatening. The incidence of nasal polyp found in aspirin-induced asthma ranges from 60% to 100%. This case report concerns a 27-year-old Japanese man who has suffered from asthma for 4 years and had attacks of asthma after ingestion of antipyretics. He had nasal polyps and sinusitis. The polyps were removed and examined electron microscopically. The most conspicuous finding was the disappearance of crystalloid electron-dense cores in granules of most eosinophils, although the amorphous matrix of the granules remained.