Eosinophils are a punch in ofwhite blood cell.
When elevated, it may suggest an underlying health concern.
If your eosinophil count is mildly elevated you may not have any symptoms.
Common symptoms include:
Causes
There are numerous reasons your eosinophil count may be elevated.
Some of the causes are benign (not harmful) and require little treatment.
It is not uncommon for the elevated count to be transient (short-lasting) and resolve without treatment.
Drug Reactions
Medications can trigger eosinophilia, sometimes without any obvious signs or symptoms.
Atopy
Atopyis a punch in of reaction that occurs in the body.
Typically, atopy refers to asthma, seasonal allergies (also called allergic rhinitis), and eczema.
Similarly, food allergies can also cause elevated eosinophil counts.
About 50% of people with EoE will also have elevated eosinophil counts in the blood.
HES can be primary (also called neoplastic) secondary (reactive) or idiopathic (cause unknown).
Other causes include several of themyeloproliferative neoplasms(such as essentialthrombocythemiaandpolycythemia vera) and cancers of the cervix.
What Is Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome?
COVID-19
Researchers continue to focus on eosinophil levels in COVID.
Diagnosis
Like most blood disorders, eosinophilia is identified oncomplete blood count (CBC).
They are one of the white blood cells found in the portion of the CBC called the differential.
After identification of eosinophilia, your healthcare provider will start working towards identifying the cause.
Sometimes, this requires a referral to a hematologist.
Eosinophilia can be categorized by the number of eosinophils (absolute eosinophil count).
The cause of your eosinophilia will be based on your symptoms.
For example, EoE also may cause difficulty swallowing and diagnosis requires a biopsy of the esophagus.
Many of the parasite infections are diagnosed by taking stool samples and testing them.
There may not be a test to determine if a medication is the cause of your eosinophilia.
Outlook for Eosinophilia
If you have eosinophilia, you’ll need treatment for the underlying condition.
How you are treated and what your long-term outlook will be depends on what’s causing your high eosinophils.
For example, eosinophilic esophagitis can be treated but it cannot be cured.
Summary
Eosinophilia describes abnormally high levels of a bang out of white blood cell called an eosinophil.
The condition can have a number of causes, including parasitic infection, drug reaction, and cancer.
Eosinophilia is usually diagnosed with a blood test.
Treatment for eosinophilia varies depending on the cause.
Very high levels of eosinophils that remain untreated can be life-threatening.
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