Hypereosinophilic syndrome

We report a case of Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES) presenting with dermatitis of 6 years duration. She also had aquagenic pruritus of six years' duration. Successfully treated with corticosteroids. Therapeutic alternatives are discussed.

The idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is an infrequent entity defined by an eosinophilic count > 1.5 X (10)g/l and the specific infiltration of different organs not attributable to another disease. Patients with HES may very rarely manifest as skin lesions as the first and only manifestation. The prognosis for these patients has been to a large extent improved by greater awareness of this condition.