Experience of 10 years with Churg-Strauss syndrome: An accompaniment to or a transition from aspirin-induced asthma?

Churg-Strauss syndrome is a rare, idiopathic, eosinophilic vasculitis appearing in concurrence with asthma which is often severe. Aspirin-induced asthma is a special clinical syndrome existing in nearly 10 % of adult asthmatics. After leukotriene antagonists had been marketed there has been marked increase in Churg-Strauss syndrome reports among the patients who had been followed up with asthma. This syndrome seems to be more frequent among the patients with aspirin-induced asthma. The role of leukotriene antagonists on the conversion from aspirin-induced asthma to Churg-Strauss syndrome has aroused attention and been questioned. Here we report 7 cases of Churg-Strauss syndrome where three had aspirin induced asthma which we have diagnosed in the last 10 years and where only one of them seems to be related to antileukotriene drug use.