[Loeffler syndrome and Mycoplasma pneumonitis. A case report]. / Sindrome di Loeffler e polmonite da Mycoplasma. Descrizione di un caso clinico.

We describe a clinical case of Loeffler syndrome occurred in a famale aged 13 years. This syndrome is characterized by fleeting pulmonary infiltrates and blood eosinophilia until 70%. Patients usually are only mildly ill or asymptomatic and recovery occurs from few days to some months. Principle causes are: a) mycetes as Aspergillus; b) helmints as Toxocara, Ancylostoma, Trichinella, Ascaris, Strongyloides, Schistosoma; c) chemical agents such as penicillin, para-aminosalycilic acid, hydralazine, nitrofurantoine, chlorpropamide. This girl came to our observation in good general conditions with murmur reduction on the thorax left side, marked peripheral eosinophilia (E 55% of 6100 white blood cell), right pulmonary infiltrate on RX and CT scan. One month before she had fever, treated with amoxycillin and clavulanic acid. Mantoux, Prick tests for main inhalant allergenes, ACE, repeated stools and seric investigations for parasites, mycetes and organisms, were negative except for IgM anti-Myco-plasma antibodies. Broncholavage showed marked eosinophilia. Smear didn't show any blast. The girl recovered in about 40 days (E 4.1% of 8500 WBC, RX negative). Our hypotesis is a causative role of amoxycillin in inducing the syndrome, even if this is a rare event, with an overlapping of a Mycoplasma infection.

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis and asymptomatic joint hypermobility.

A significant association with asymptomatic joint hypermobility was observed in 37 children with a history of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (P =.0016) and their parents (mothers, P <.0001; fathers, P <.05). The subjects with articular hypermobility showed an increased frequency of absent mandibular frenulum, thereby suggesting the presence of a previously unrecognized, systemic abnormality of the extracellular matrix.