title: The significance of eosinophils in mild and moderate acute cardiac allograft rejection.
abstract: The presence of eosinophils has previously been associated with severe acute cardiac allograft rejection. This appears to be a relatively uncommon finding, judging from our experience and the paucity of information appearing in literature. We report three cases where a prominent infiltrate of eosinophils was noted on endomyocardial biopsy following cardiac transplantation. There was no evidence of severe acute rejection in any of these three patients, and one patient had only mild acute rejection without even focal myocardial necrosis. An infiltrate, which includes eosinophils, does not appear to be restricted to severe acute cardiac allograft rejection. Therefore, when eosinophils are noted in endomyocardial biopsy specimens, decisions to revise the immunosuppressive regimen of cardiac transplant recipients should continue to be based upon established conventional histologic criteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Gollub
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huntrakoon
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Dunn
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000187:drug effects; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents