During the first half of this century, several authors reported a variant of a small vessel vasculitis that appeared similar to the then recognized polyarteritis nodosa. The condition was distinguished by a significant atopic component, in the form of allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, and hypereosinophilia (1). Such patients frequently had a poor prognosis, with many patients dying as a resu...

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a rare cause of vasculitic neuropathy. Although rare and potentially fatal, Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is easily diagnosable and treatable. The presence of bronchial asthma with peripheral neuropathy in a patient alerts a physician to this diagnosis. This is vividly illustrated by the presented two cases who had neuropathy associated with bronchial asthma, eosi...

Churg-Strauss syndrome is a systemic vasculitis. Its most frequent complications are heart diseases and asthma. Usually, cardiological manifestations are pericarditis, cardiac failure and myocardial infarction. Endobronchial granulomas identified by bronchoscopy are unusual. We present the case of a man with congestive cardiomyopathy and endobronchial granulomas macroscopically visible at bronc...

Accumulating evidence shows that the central nervous system (CNS) regulates the activity of the immune system. Concerning the role of immune system in cancer, psychosocial influences on immune function provide a mechanism of association between psychosocial factors (like interpersonal aggression) and cancer prognosis. Social conflicts between males, involving high aggression stress and threat (...

In 1951 the pathologists Churg and Strauss identified 13 patients who presented with a clinical syndrome characterised by asthma, hypereosinophilia, and evidence of vasculitis aVecting a number of organs. The three main histological features found on pathological examination of these cases were extravascular granulomas, tissue eosinophilia, and necrotising vasculitis (fig 1). Most of these pati...

A case is presented of Churg-Strauss syndrome in a young man in whom the definitive diagnostic procedure was a full thickness sigmoidoscopic rectal biopsy, with submucosal sampling. Gastrointestinal changes in Churg-Strauss syndrome, a rare systemic illness characterised by asthma, blood and tissue eosinophilia, vasculitis, and granulomatous inflammation are common but poorly reported. The endo...

1) Mazzantini M, Fattori B, Matteucci F, et al. Neuro-laryngeal involvement in Churg-Strauss syndrome. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 1998;255:302-306. 2) Hueto-Perez-de-Heredia JJ, Dominguez-del-Valle FJ, Garcia E, et al. Chronic eosinophillic pneumonia as a presenting feature of Churg-Strauss syndrome. Eur Respir J 1994;7:1006-1008. 3) Cooper BJ, Bacal E, Patterson R. Allergic angiitis and granulo...

Churg-Strauss syndrome is a rare diffuse small/medium sized vessel vasculitis that is almost invariably accompanied by severe asthma. The cause is unknown, but its characteristic histological findings and association with asthma distinguish it from other vasculitides. We report here a middle aged lady who presented with sudden onset of vasculitic skin lesions in association with long standing a...