Article    Table of Contents                    Full Text of this article Free    Figures/Tables List    Related articles in Annals  Services    Send comment/rapid response letter    Published comments/rapid response letters    Notify a friend about this article    Alert me when this article is cited    Add to Personal Archive    Download to Citation Manager    ACP Search                            Get Permissions  Google Scholar    Search for Related Content  PubMed Articles in PubMed by Author:    Tatsis, E.    Gross, W. L.    Related Articles in PubMed    PubMed Citation    PubMed

BRIEF COMMUNICATION

Interferon- Treatment of Four Patients with the Churg-Strauss Syndrome

Efstratios Tatsis, MD; Armin Schnabel, MD; and Wolfgang L. Gross, MD

1 September 1998 | Volume 129 Issue 5 | Pages 370-374

Background: Interferon- is reported to have a beneficial effect on patients with the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Objective: To study the effect of interferon- on the Churg-Strauss syndrome.

Design: Case series.

Setting: University hospital.

Patients: Four patients with biopsy-proven Churg-Strauss syndrome.

Intervention: Interferon- at dosages of 7.5 to 63 million U per week.

Measurements: Disease extent, disease activity, and blood eosinophil count in a treatment period ranging from 14 to 25 months.

Results: Interferon- therapy led to remission of disease and a substantial reduction of the prednisolone requirement in two patients who had attained incomplete remission with cyclophosphamide or methotrexate. The third patient's condition stabilized, and the fourth patient maintained remission. During interferon- therapy, the blood eosinophil count in all patients decreased in a dose-dependent manner and paralleled the extent of clinical disease and disease activity.

Conclusions: Interferon- may be an effective treatment for the Churg-Strauss syndrome. It seems to exert its effect primarily by producing a dose-dependent decrease in the blood eosinophil count.

Author and Article Information

From the Medical University of Lubeck, Lubeck, Germany; and Rheumaklinik Bad Bramstedt, Bad Bramstedt, Germany. For current author addresses, see end of text.
Requests for Reprints: Efstratios Tatsis, MD, Poliklinik fur Rheumatologie, Medizinische Universitat zu Lubeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lubeck, Germany.
Current Author Addresses: Drs. Tatsis, Schnabel, and Gross: Department of Rheumatology, Medical University of Lubeck, 23538 Lubeck, and Rheumaklinik Bad Bramstedt, 24572 Bad Bramstedt, Germany.

Related articles in Annals:

Articles
Limitations of the 1990 American College of Rheumatology Classification Criteria in the Diagnosis of Vasculitis
Jaya K. Rao, Nancy B. Allen, AND Theodore Pincus

Annals 1998 129: 345-352. [ABSTRACT][Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. Matsuyama, H. Mitsuyama, M. Ono, Y. Shirahama, I. Higashimoto, M. Osame, and K. Arimura Discoidin domain receptor 1 contributes to eosinophil survival in an NF-{kappa}B-dependent manner in Churg-Strauss syndrome Blood, January 1, 2007; 109(1): 22 - 30. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M Koukoulaki, K G C Smith, and D R W Jayne Rituximab in Churg-Strauss syndrome Ann Rheum Dis, April 1, 2006; 65(4): 557 - 559. [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. R. Thickett, A. G. Richter, N. Nathani, G. D. Perkins, and L. Harper Pulmonary manifestations of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-positive vasculitis Rheumatology, March 1, 2006; 45(3): 261 - 268. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Sable-Fourtassou, P. Cohen, A. Mahr, C. Pagnoux, L. Mouthon, D. Jayne, D. Blockmans, J.-F. Cordier, P. Delaval, X. Puechal, et al. Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies and the Churg-Strauss Syndrome Ann Intern Med, November 1, 2005; 143(9): 632 - 638. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C Metzler, P Lamprecht, B Hellmich, M Reuter, A-C Arlt, and W L Gross Leucoencephalopathy after treatment of Churg-Strauss syndrome with interferon {alpha} Ann Rheum Dis, August 1, 2005; 64(8): 1242 - 1243. [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Kroegel, B. Mock, A. Reissig, and D. Bouros Interferons and Their Application in Lung Diseases Chest, December 1, 2003; 124(6): 2406 - 2407. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Bruchfeld, K. Lindahl, L. Stahle, M. Soderberg, and R. Schvarcz Interferon and ribavirin treatment in patients with hepatitis C-associated renal disease and renal insufficiency Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., August 1, 2003; 18(8): 1573 - 1580. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Bruchfeld, K. Lindahl, L. Stahle, M. Soderberg, and R. Schvarcz Interferon and ribavirin treatment in patients with hepatitis C-associated renal disease and renal insufficiency Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., August 1, 2003; 18(88): 1573 - 1580. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				C. C. Thomson, A. M. Tager, and P. F. Weller More Than Your Average Wheeze N. Engl. J. Med., February 7, 2002; 346(6): 438 - 442. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Solans, J. A. Bosch, C. Perez-Bocanegra, A. Selva, P. Huguet, J. Alijotas, R. Orriols, L. Armadans, and M. Vilardell Churg-Strauss syndrome: outcome and long-term follow-up of 32 patients Rheumatology, July 1, 2001; 40(7): 763 - 771. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. C. Termeer, J. C. Simon, and E. Schopf Low-Dose Interferon Alfa-2b for the Treatment of Churg-Strauss Syndrome With Prominent Skin Involvement Arch Dermatol, February 1, 2001; 137(2): 136 - 138. [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Jayne Evidence-based treatment of systemic vasculitis Rheumatology, June 1, 2000; 39(6): 585 - 595. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. EUSTACE, T. NADASDY, and M. CHOI The Churg Strauss Syndrome J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., September 1, 1999; 10(9): 2048 - 2055. [Full Text]

				A. Schnabel, E. Csernok, J. Braun, and W. L Gross Inflammatory cells and cellular activation in the lower respiratory tract in Churg-Strauss syndrome Thorax, September 1, 1999; 54(9): 771 - 778. [Abstract] [Full Text]

Rapid Responses: