Churg-Strauss Syndrome
| Overview |
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- Churg-Strauss Syndrome is a vasculitis of small and medium-sized blood vessels, including arteries, capillaries, and venules. Disease can affect virtually any organ although there appears to be a predilection for the lung.
| Epidemiology |
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- Churg-Strauss Syndrome does not appear to have a major predilection for age and does not have a strong gender-bias.
| Pathogenesis |
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- Churg-Strauss Syndrome is an ANCA-associated vasculitis, specifically with p-ANCA. The disease appears to have some allergic pathogenesis and is associated with derangements of eosinophil function.
| Morphology |
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- Churg-Strauss Syndrome is characterized by necrotizing inflammation of the vascular wall and accompanied by the presence of granulomas. Uniquely, granulomatous inflammation is associated with prominent infiltration of eosinophils
| Clinical Consequences |
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- Patients with Churg-Strauss Syndrome frequently present with severe asthma as well as allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. Characteristically, laboratory findings display a striking eosinophilia.