Blood Disorders » Eosinophilia
Eosinophilia
Eosinophils are a form of white blood cells produced in the bone marrow and normally exist in the bloodstream and gut lining. Their role is to defend the body against infections caused by parasitic entities such as worms. But its presence in large amounts can have a negative effect on the human system, and that leads to this condition called eosinophilia. Technically, eosinophilia refers to the medical condition characterized by an abnormal amount of eosinophils in the blood or body tissues.
Causes
Most number of eosinophilia cases reported worldwide has been found to be rooted in parasitic infections. In western countries, it is also seen to occur due to allergic diseases such as hay fever and asthma. Common skin diseases, reactions to medicine, liver cirrhosis, lymphoma, Loeffler's syndrome, and unknown causes labeled as hypereosinophilic syndrome are other but rarer causes for eosinophilia.
Common Symptoms & Diagnosis
The eosinophilia symptoms are basically those of the underlying diseases. For example, eosinophilia due to parasitic infections may precipitate as diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, cough or rashes, while asthma related eosinophilia is characterized by breathlessness and whizzing. Other rare symptoms include weight loss, enlargement of lymph node, night sweats, and numbness owing to nerve damage.
Eosinophilia is diagnosed by examining the eosinophil count in the blood. This can be achieved by a normal blood test. Tissue eosinophilia is diagnosed by the close examination of the concerned tissue, usually taken from the patient (skin biopsy).
Once diagnosed with an abnormal count of eosinophils, the next step is to find out the exact cause that triggered this condition. Blood tests can reveal if there is any dust or pollen allergy, while laboratory examination of the stool may be required to find out if there is any parasitic infection involved. Also a one-to-one interaction with the patient - regarding his/her routine, medical history etc - may give the doctor useful hints about the possible causes of the disease.
Treatments
The treatment for eosinophilia basically tackles the underlying cause that triggered the disease, whether it is parasitic infection, allergy or medicine reaction. In some cases, the patients may require prolonged medication and constant monitoring of the condition (e.g. - hypereosinophilic syndrome).
In a normal human being, eosinophils constitute 1 to 3% of the peripheral blood leukocytes, the natural count being anywhere between 350 and 650 per cubic millimeter. Its increase in number leads to eosinophilia and the condition again is classified into three; mild eosinophilia, characterized by less than 1500 eosinophils per cubic millimeter, moderate eosinophilia, marked by an eosinophils count of 1500-5000 per cubic millimeter, and severe eosinophilia (greater than 5000 per cubic millimeter).