Pathologists Jacob Churg and Lotte Strauss first described the condition based on their findings from autopsies in 1951, hence the original name. The set of features they identified applied to multiple conditions, so other medical experts later changed the diagnostic criteria, making them more specific.
As a result, medical experts changed the condition’s name from Churg-Strauss syndrome to EGPA in 2010. However, many people still call the condition by its common name, which we use for this article.
Churg-Strauss syndrome is a variant of a group of conditions that includes asthma and rhinosinusitis.
Churg-Strauss syndrome has three main characteristics:
Hypereosinophilia: This is when a certain type of white blood cells, called eosinophils, cluster within the blood vessels and tissues.Vasculitis: This involves inflammation of the blood vessels, which restricts blood flow.Granulomatosis: This process happens as a result of vasculitis, which causes inflammatory nodular lesions called granulomas to form.The lack of blood flow can damage multiple organs, but it particularly affects the lungs. Without treatment, this can he severe effects on the body.
Other namesPeople may also use these other terms for the condition:
Churg-Strauss vasculitisallergic granulomatosisallergic granulomatosis and angiitisallergic angiitis and granulomatosis