OF THE many diseases contracted by Americans in distant countries, tropical eosinophilic asthma seems to be the least known, as only 3 cases have been reported.1 The subject of this study is a brief description of the disease and a report of 2 additional cases in which the condition had been treated as bronchial asthma for years and in which recovery occurred a few days after specific treatment with neoarsphenamine U. S. P.
DEFINITION
Tropical eosinophilic asthma is a disease of tropical and semitropical regions. It is characterized by chronic bronchitis with nonseasonal nocturnal paroxysmal cough, with dyspnea, leukocytosis and high eosinophilia. This disease has been described under various names.2 We suggest the name tropical eosinophilic asthma because it emphasizes the main morbid manifestations.
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Tropical eosinophilic asthma was first described by Weingarten2a in India in 1943. Since then it has been recognized as a