PULMONARY EOSINOPHILIA IN CHILDREN - REPORT OF A SCHOOL SURVEY IN RURAL TAMIL-NADU IN INDIA

During the period of 1981-82 in a survey of 21 schools in four villages of North Arcot Ambedkar District of Tamil Nadu, amongst a population of 4282 children we detected 92 with respiratory symptoms and blood eosinophilia greater than 1000 per cumm. Sixty-eight students had associated worm infestation, majority with hookworm followed by giardia. Altogether 37 children had blood eosinophilia above 2000 per cumm and had symptoms of cough, dyspnoea, and wheeze consistent with pulmonary eosinophilia. Fourteen of the children with pulmonary eosinophilia had eosinopenic remission with deworming alone. Six of them, on the other hand, responded to diethyl carbamazine (DEC) alone and 17 others, following deworming, required further DEC therapy for successful eosinopenic remission, thus warranting a diagnosis of Tropical Pulmonary Eosinophilia (TPE).