Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine
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Pulmonary eosinophilia is a disease entity which is characterized by an increase of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid or in tissue. While there are several disease states encountered in pulmonary eosinophilia, some have a definite cause and diagnosis, while others are of unknown etiology. ⋯ Simple pulmonary eosinophilia and chronic eosinophilic pneumonia are well established disease entities, but recent papers have clarified a new concept of acute eosinophilic pneumonia. In this article, the clinical features of three idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonias simple pulmonary eosinophilia as a self-limiting lung infiltrates, chronic eosinophilic pneumonia as a disease with longstanding symptoms requiring steroids administration and a tendency to relapse, and acute eosinophilic pneumonia as an acute respiratory distress which responds dramatically to steroids administration and without relapse after discontinuation of therapy are discussed.