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Seven women and one man aged from 51 to 70 years suffered from eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome after taking medicines containing tryptophan for depression or sleep disorders; the total duration of intake ranged from three to 106 months and the average daily dose was 1312 mg. All the patients had muscle pains and skin lesions resembling scleroderma together with impairment of general well being; six of them had high eosinophil counts of up to 2,600 cells/microliters (mean 1,629); other symptoms were weight loss, pruritus, fever, dyspnoea and sensory abnormalities. Discontinuation of tryptophan combined with systemic treatment with prednisone in doses of 32 or 20 mg/d for 4 to 16 weeks soon brought the eosinophil counts down, but the skin lesions, muscle pains and other symptoms showed little improvement over a follow-up period averaging 17.1 months. Treatment with penicillin G (20 mega-units daily for 14 days), azathioprine (100 mg daily for 2 months) or cyclosporin (2.5 mg/kg.day) was tried in some cases but had no significant effect.
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
January 1990,
BMJ (Clinical research ed.),
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
November 1990,
The Journal of rheumatology,
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
June 1990,
Southern medical journal,
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
July 1992,
Der Hautarzt; Zeitschrift fur Dermatologie, Venerologie, und verwandte Gebiete,
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
July 1990,
BMJ (Clinical research ed.),
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
November 1990,
Neurology,
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
July 1990,
Lancet (London, England),
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
February 1990,
Lancet (London, England),
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
April 1991,
Archives of neurology,
R M Szeimies, and
M Meurer
October 1990,
Neurology,
