Eosinophils are a subspecies of white blood cells (leukocytes) that help our body fight diseases and infections by "eating" certain types of bacteria, foreign substances, parasites and other "enemies" of the body. But if they are so useful, then why are elevated eosinophils perceived by doctors as something wrong? Let's try to answer this question.
Elevated eosinophils: common causes
Elevation of eosinophils in the blood (this condition is called eosinophilia)
may be the body's response to an allergy. Their number can increase at a time when any bacteria or parasites are present in the body. Eosinophils in the blood can increase if a person has some type of skin disorder, such as pemphigus, which causes blisters to appear on the body.
Elevated eosinophils can also be a consequence of diseases that lead to an increase in myeloid tissue found in the bone marrow. One of thesediseases is true polycythemia - with it, the number of red cells and other blood cells increases in the blood. Another disease is myelofibrosis, in which myeloid tissue in the bone marrow is replaced by fibrous tissue.
Some types of drugs increase the level of this leukocyte. These can be penicillin, aspirin, diphenhydramine, imipramine, beta-blockers and many other drugs.
Elevated eosinophils: rare diseases
A number of collagen vascular diseases can lead to an increase in eosinophils. This is a group of acquired diseases that completely affect the blood vessels and connective tissue. Also, elevated eosinophils are detected if a person has eosinophilic gastroenteritis, a very rare disease. With it, eosinophils are released into the small intestine and end up in the stool.
There is another swamping - sarcoidosis. Eosinophils above normal can also be a consequence of this disease. Sarcoidosis is a condition where small bumps form on tissues in the airways.
Löffler's syndrome also leads to an increase in eosinophils. The illness manifests as cough and fever, with further deterioration such as respiratory failure.
Addison's disease also leads to an increase in the number of eosinophils. This is a disease in which the adrenal glands do not produce hormones at all or produce too little.
This list is by no means complete. Increased eosinophils also occur withatopic (for example, bronchial asthma), parasitic (fascioliasis, hookworm, etc.), non-atopic skin (for example, epidermolysis bullosa), gastrointestinal (like cirrhosis of the liver), rheumatic (rheumatoid arthritis, etc.), hematological (acute leukemia, pernicious anemia, etc.) diseases. Mixed group diseases: hypoxia, splenectomy, chorea and others.
This is why eosinophil testing is so important to doctors. It helps to identify one of the above and many other diseases and conditions of the body.
