5 Facts you should know about

Churg-Strauss syndrome (2)

A condition characterized by asthma, high levels of eosinophils, and inflammation of small to medium blood vessels (vasculitis)

The inflamed vessels can affect various organ systems including the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, skin, heart, and nervous system

Also called eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), it is considered to have three distinct phases - prodromal (allergic), eosinophilic, and vasculitic - which don't always occur sequentially. (Some people do not develop all 3 phases)

The disease was first described in 1951 by Dr. Jacob Churg and Dr. Lotte Strauss as a syndrome consisting of “asthma, eosinophilia (an excessive number of eosinophils in the blood), fever, and accompanying vasculitis of various organ systems"

The typical patient with EGPA is a middle-aged individual with a history of new-onset or newly worsened asthma

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