Eosinophilic bronchitis in maritime ambient

Abstract

Eosinophilic bronchitis is characterized by a chronic airway wall inflammation with eosinophilic polynuclear cells. This two years retrospective descriptive study, concerns 108 navy personnel working in maritime environment. Chronic cough standing more than 8 weeks is observed in 100 % of the studied cases. It was associated to dyspnea in 10 %. The non specific biology showed a hypereosinophilia within 90 % of hemograms. The research of eosinophilic cells in sputum and nasal mucus gave respectively 80 % and 20 % of positivity. In our study treatment was based on corticoid in aerosol during a total treatment period of 3 months. 8 % of cases developed a bronchial hyper reactivity; 16,66 % of smoking patients evolved towards a respiratory obstructive syndrome. Personnel working in maritime environment is more exposed to risk factors: humidity, confined space, pollution and tabagism. A better knowledge of this entity and an early medical care would help to prevent the evolution to asthma or chronic obstructive bronchopneumopathy (COBP).