Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell. They help fight off infections and play a role in your body’s immune response. They can also build up and cause inflammation.
Normally your blood doesn’t have a large number of eosinophils. Your body may produce more of them in response to
In some conditions, the eosinophils can move outside the bloodstream and build up in organs and tissues. Treatment of the problem depends on the cause.
Eosinophils play two roles in your immune system:
Eosinophilia occurs when a large number of eosinophils are recruited to a specific site in your body or when the bone marrow produces too many eosinophils. This can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
Specific diseases and conditions that can result in blood or tissue eosinophilia include:
Parasitic diseases and allergic reactions to medication are among the more common causes of eosinophilia. Hypereosinophila that causes organ damage is called hypereosinophilic syndrome. This syndrome tends to have an unknown cause or results from certain types of cancer, such as bone marrow or lymph node cancer.
Treatment is based on cessation of exposure to any identified underlying condition, or to any drug or supplement. In many cases, no primary cause is found, suggesting that eosinophilia is secondary to allergy or parasitosis. In such cases, a brief trial of low-dose corticosteroids often lowers the eosinophil count, confirming the secondary nature of the raised eosinophil count.
Last updated on March 2nd, 2018