Presence of eosinophilia in progressive systemic sclerosis and localized scleroderma

Recent studies on eosinophilic fasciitis have lead to this investigation of eosinophilia in progressive systemic sclerosis and localized scleroderma. Eosinophilia (eosinophilic count greater than 300/cmm) was found in ten of 63 progressive systemic sclerosis patients (15.8%) and in two of nine localized scleroderma cases (22.2%). In patients with progressive systemic sclerosis eosinophilia was found occasionally in six cases; it was transitory, but frequent in three cases; it was constant and very high in one case. In patients with localized scleroderma eosinophilia was found occasionally in one case and frequent, but not constant, in the other one. The possible influence of drugs could be excluded in five cases: three progressive systemic sclerosis cases and two affected with localized scleroderma. Therefore, it is possible to confirm that eosinophilia is not a distinctive sign of eosinophilic fasciitis in patients suffering from scleroderma-like syndromes. While eosinophilia is related to inflammation in eosinophilic faciitis, eosinophilia and disease activity could not be correlated in our patients with PSS. Recently, it has been suggested that eosinophilia might be an unfavorable prognostic criterion in progressive systemic sclerosis. Our data does not allow confirmation of this assumption.