Clinical case of the month. Carrington's disease: idiopathic chronic eosinophilic pneumonia
Piette, C.; Frusch, N.; Duysinx, B.; Louis, R.
Revue Medicale de Liege 69(3): 126-131
2014
ISSN/ISBN: 0370-629X PMID: 24830211 Document Number: 674752
Idiopathic Chronic Eosinophilic Pneumonia (ICEP) or Carrington's disease is a rare disease, exclusively pulmonary, and of an unknown origin. Connective tissues of the lungs are infiltrated by eosinophilic cell elements. This illness is progressive, consisting of dyspnea, cough and thoracic pain. In addition, the general condition is impaired. The average delay between onset of symptoms and discovery of chest radiographic opacities is often longer than 3-4 months. Symptoms and chest X-ray quickly improve under corticosteroid treatment. In the future, new research could lead to alternative treatments. We report the case of a woman with ICEP. We shall discuss the diagnostic approach, envisage the potential complications and describe the treatment of the disease.