title: Eosinophilic gastroenteritis with eosinophilic dermatitis.
abstract: Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) is characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the bowel wall and variable gastrointestinal manifestations. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for EG when faced with gastrointestinal symptoms and peripheral eosinophilia to avoid incorrect diagnosis and inappropriate treatments. A 24-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain and a laparoscopic appendectomy performed for a presumed diagnosis of an acute appendicitis. However, the procedure revealed bowel edema and a moderate amount of ascites without evidence of a suppurative appendicitis. Postoperatively, she showed persistent and progressive eosinophilia, exudative eosinophilic ascites, eosinophilic infiltration of the resected appendix wall, and eosinophilic infiltration of gastroduodenal mucosa. A punch biopsy of the abdominal skin also revealed inflammation with marked eosinophilic infiltration of the skin. She recovered after the treatment with a low dose of steroid for the EG with eosinophilic dermatitis. EG with eosinophilic dermatitis has not been reported yet and is considered fortuitous in this case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, East-West Neo Medical Center, KyungHee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. dramc@hanmail.net
authors.forename: Jae Myung
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Joung Il
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kwang Ro
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Hyun Phil
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D013256:Steroids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids