Background and Purpose:
Ischemic stroke has been reported in various conditions associated with eosinophilia.
FIP1L1-PDGFRA
fusion ([Fip1-like 1-platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha];
F/P
) leads to the proliferation of the eosinophilic lineage and thus to a clonal hypereosinophilic syndrome that is highly responsive to imatinib.
Methods:
We previously reported on a nationwide retrospective study of 151 patients with
F/P
-associated clonal hypereosinophilic syndrome. Patients from this cohort with a clinical history of ischemic stroke (as well as 2 additional cases) were further analyzed to better define their clinical picture and outcomes.
Results:
Sixteen male patients (median age, 51 [43–59] years) with low-to-intermediate cardiovascular risk were included. Median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 4 (range, 1–6). Most cerebral imaging disclosed multiple bilateral infarctions of watershed distribution (69%). Despite frequent cardiac involvement (50%), cardiac thrombus was evidenced in a single patient and, according to the TOAST classification (Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment), 62.5% of strokes were presumably of undetermined etiology. Among the 15 patients treated with imatinib, and after a median follow-up of 4.5 years, stroke recurred in only 3 patients (consisting of either cardio embolic or hemorrhagic events, unrelated to the first episode).
Conclusions:
F/P
+ clonal hypereosinophilic syndrome is a diagnosis to consider in patients with unexplained ischemic stroke and hypereosinophilia (especially in the setting of multiple cortical borderzone distribution) and warrants prompt initiation of imatinib.
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