Recurrent Oral Eosinophilic Ulcers of the Oral Mucosa. A Case Report.

OBJECTIVE: This article describes a case of an Oral Eosinophilic Ulcer (OEU) in an otherwise healthy 31-year-old white woman.

INTRODUCTION: The importance of reporting this case was the presence of recurrent episodes with lesions appearing in different areas of the oral mucosa, a type of manifestation not commonly associated with this disease. A typical manifestation of OEU occurs as a single ulceration that goes into healing after an incisional biopsy, a procedure usually required for a proper diagnosis of the disease. In spite of trauma being suggested as the main culprit of OEU, the exact pathogenesis mechanism of this disease remains controversial.

CASE REPORT: The pattern of the present case contradicts the usually common course of the disease, as the patient had experienced many recurrent episodes for almost 2.5 years, with the recurrences occurring even after biopsies performed during some of the relapses. Differential diagnosis included recurrent aphthous stomatitis, recurrent intra-oral herpes, autoimmune disease, Crohn's disease and malignancy.

CONCLUSION: Fortunately, the patient has been free of any recurrences for 1.5 years since the last biopsy was taken at the time she came to our clinic seeking treatment.