Löffler's syndrome

Löffler's syndrome is a disease in which eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, accumulate in the lung in response to a parasitic infection. The parasite involved can be Ascaris, Strongyloides stercoralis or Dirofilaria immitis, which can enter the body through contact with soil. The symptoms include those of the parasitic infection itself, such as abdominal pain and cramping, skin rashes and fatigue, together with the effects of the lung involvement, which are difficulty breathing, wheeze, cough and fever. The condition is therefore best understood as the lung's reaction to a parasite passing through the body, rather than as an infection of the lung alone. This entry records what is held in the literature and is not medical advice.