Relapsing eosinophilic myositis--a cause of pseudothrombophlebitis in an alcoholic

A 51-year-old chronic alcoholic man presented with recurrent calf and thigh swelling and was investigated on several occasions for possible deep venous thrombosis. The episodes were precipitated by binge drinking. Muscle biopsy was performed on 3 occasions, revealing an inflammatory myopathy. On one of these occasions eosinophils were prominent in the interstitial infiltrate. Eosinophilic infiltrates in skeletal muscle may be a transient phase of the cellular process in the inflammatory myopathy and perhaps do not denote a specific nosological entity.