title: [Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia successfully treated with suplatast tosilate].
abstract: The patient was a 45-year-old woman in whom a chest X-ray film obtained on admission showed bilateral infiltrative shadows. A chest CT scan revealed areas of consolidation and ground-glass opacities. Examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed many eosinophils, and specimens obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy showed thickened alveolar septa with infiltration of eosinophils. The numbers of eosinophils and the level of IgE in blood were low. The radiographic appearance improved after administration of suplatast tosilate. The level of interleukin 5 was high both in plasma and in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid before treatment, but the level of IL-5 in plasma was low after suplatast tosilate was given. Suplatast tosilate, which suppresses the production of cytokines, may be useful in patients with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National Kinki-chuo Hospital for Chest Diseases, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakatani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishioka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akira
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sone
mesh_terms: D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001190:Arylsulfonates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D011657:Pulmonary Eosinophilia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013452:Sulfonium Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D001190:Arylsulfonates; D015848:Interleukin-5; D013452:Sulfonium Compounds; C073028:suplatast tosilate