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Medical Author:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• What are eosinophils?
• What is fascia?
• What is eosinophilic fasciitis?
• How is eosinophilic fasciitis diagnosed?
• How is eosinophilic fasciitis treated?
• Eosinophilic Fasciitis Glossary
• Eosinophilic Fasciitis Index
• Find a local Rheumatologist in your town

How is eosinophilic fasciitis diagnosed?

The diagnosis of eosinophilic fasciitis is made with a biopsy of a full thickness of involved skin.

How is eosinophilic fasciitis treated?

Treatment of eosinophilic fasciitis is directed at eliminating the tissue inflammation and includes aspirin, other antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and cortisone. Many patients will improve spontaneously. Others can be afflicted with persistent tissue and joint pain, in addition to thickening of the involved tissues.

For aggressive eosinophilic fasciitis, cortisone medications (such as prednisone and prednisolone) are considered along with immune suppression medications (such as cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan] and penicillamine [Depen, Cuprimine]).

Recent medical research has shown that the immune-suppression drug methotrexate can provide an added benefit in treating eosinophilic fasciitis. This methotrexate research strongly suggests that methotrexate can reduce both the immune inflammation and the need for continued cortisone medications.