Eosinophilic meningitis and the hypereosinophilic syndrome. Case report and review of the literature.

The hypereosinophilic syndrome is a rare disease characterized by infiltration of numerous tissues with eosinophils, leading to organ dysfunction and eventual death. Although patients often have neurologic symptoms and occasionally have been found to have central nervous system infiltration with eosinophils, a well-documented case of the hypereosinophilic syndrome has not been previously reported in association with cerebrospinal fluid eosinophilia and biochemical evidence for meningitis. Such a case is described and the literature dealing with brain and meningeal involvement in the hypereosinophilic syndrome is reviewed.