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Eosinophils are blood cells, with an increase in which one can suspect that the following processes occur in the human body:
An infectious disease develops;
There is an allergic reaction;
A parasitic infestation has occurred;
There is inflammation of the tissues;
There is a tumor.
Eosinophils are able to absorb the coloring pigment eosin, which is used in laboratories when performing blood tests. It is thanks to this feature that eosinophils got their name. When magnified, eosinophils look like amoeba with two nuclei. They can seep through the vessels and settle in those tissues where the inflammatory process is going on. Eosinophils in the blood are present for 60 minutes, and then enter the tissues.
The main functions of these blood cells are as follows:
Eosinophils affect receptors susceptible to class E immunoglobulins, increasing their sensitivity. As a result, a person becomes active immunity responsible for the destruction of parasites. Its cells begin to attack the membranes of foreign organisms, destroying them. Destroyed membranes attract cells like a magnet, which completely destroy them.
Eosinophils stimulate the accumulation and release of biologically active substances that are responsible in the human body for the activation and suppression of inflammation processes (inflammatory mediators).
Eosinophils promote the uptake and binding of inflammatory mediators. This is especially true for histamine.
Eosinophils, like microphages, can destroy small particles by surrounding them and absorbing them.
The norm of eosinophils in the blood is 1-5
The percentage of eosinophils in the norm can range from 1 to 5% of the total level of leukocytes. This rule is the same for both sexes. In determining the level of eosinophils in the blood, laser flow cytometry is used.
It is also possible to determine eosinophils not in percentage, but in quantity. In this case, the total number of eosinophils per milliliter of blood is calculated. The norm indicator in this case varies in the range of 120-350.
The level of eosinophils in the blood is directly affected by the adrenal glands. If you take blood from a person in the first half of the night, then their content will be 30% more. In the morning, this figure rises by 15%.
Therefore, in order to get the most reliable result, you should adhere to the following points:
Take blood samples in the morning and on an empty stomach.
A couple of days before the test, give up sweet foods and alcoholic beverages.
The level of eosinophils in the blood is influenced by the menstrual cycle of a woman. During ovulation, their number will be lower, this continues until the end of the cycle. Knowing this, doctors have developed an eosinophilic test that allows you to determine the peak of egg maturation. The higher the level of progesterone in the blood, the lower the level of eosinophils. Estrogen, on the other hand, increases this blood count.
The norm of eosinophils for children
The level of eosinophils in the blood as the child grows older does not change too much.
Child’s age | Percentage of eosinophils |
≥ 14 days | 1-6 |
Day 15 – 12 months | 1-5 |
1,5-2 years | 1-7 |
2 to 5 years | 1-6 |
≤5 years | 1-5 |
What does an increase in eosinophils mean?
If 1 ml of blood contains more than 700 eosinophils (7 * 10 to the 9th degree g / l), then this is a very significant deviation from the norm.
In medicine, this condition is called the term eosinophilia.
Weak degree of eosinophilia – an increase in the level of eosinophils by 10%.
Moderate eosinophilia – a jump in eosinophils by 10-15%.
Severe eosinophilia – an increase in their level by 15% or more. With such indicators of blood, tissues and organs begin to suffer from a lack of oxygen, which affects their condition.
During the analysis, some error is acceptable, since neutrophils can be highlighted with eosin dye. Therefore, if, according to the results of a blood test, the level of neutrophils is below normal, and eosinophils are above normal, then a second sampling should be carried out.
Causes of eosinophilia
A high level of eosinophils in the blood indicates an allergic tension in the body, which may be the result of conditions such as:
drug allergy.
Allergic reaction of reactive type (hay fever, Quincke’s edema, urticaria).
Allergic rhinitis.
Skin allergic reactions (eczema, contact and atopic dermatitis, pemphigus vulgaris).
Parasitic invasions (infection with amoebas, chlamydia, toxoplasma).
Worm invasions.
Systemic diseases (lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, fasciitis, periarteritis nodosa).
Acute and chronic infectious diseases (syphilis, Epstein-Barr virus, tuberculosis).
Lung diseases (asthma, sarcoidosis, eosinophilic pleurisy, fibrosing alveolitis, Lefleur’s disease, histocytosis).
Oncological diseases of the blood (lymphoma, lymphogranulomatosis).
Diseases of the digestive system (gastritis and eosinophilic colitis).
Malignant cancerous tumors.
If eosinophilia is detected, an adult patient is sent for the following tests:
Feces on eggs of worms.
Blood for biochemical analysis.
Ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity.
Also, the patient must visit an allergist, at the discretion of the doctor, it is possible to conduct the following studies:
A swab from the throat and nasal passages to determine the level of eosinophils, if a person has an allergic rhinitis.
Perform challenge tests and spirometry if asthma is suspected.
Identification of allergens by blood serum.
In the future, the patient receives medical advice and is treated for his existing disease. If the patient’s lungs are affected, then he is referred for a consultation with a pulmonologist. With parasitic invasions, it is necessary to go to an appointment with an infectious disease specialist.
Causes of increased eosinophil levels in children
Newborns, children under six months | 6 months – 3 years | ≤ 3 years |
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If the eosinophil level is below normal
Eosinopenia is a condition in which the level of eosinophils is below 200 in 1 ml of blood.
This is observed under the following conditions:
Sepsis and other severe purulent diseases, in which the body becomes unable to produce the required amount of eosinophils.
Manifestation of inflammation of organs: appendicitis, urolithiasis, pancreatitis.
The first 24 hours after myocardial infarction.
Shock state: pain or infectious shock.
Intoxication of the body with heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, copper, lead, cadmium, bismuth, thallium).
Diseases of the adrenal glands, pathology of the thyroid gland.
Chronic stress.
With advanced leukemia, the level of eosinophils will approach zero.
Combined Eosinophil Elevations
In people with allergies, when infected with viral infections, an increase in eosinophils and lymphocytes will be observed. A similar condition is typical for allergy sufferers with helminthiases and dermatoses. A similar picture is observed in patients receiving treatment with antibacterial drugs and sulfonamides. A jump in eosinophils and lymphocytes in children occurs with infectious mononucleosis, with scarlet fever. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct additional laboratory diagnostics: examine feces for worms, determine the level of immunoglobulin E and the presence of antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus in the blood.
If, against the background of eosinophilia, there is an increase in the level of monocytes, then an infectious process occurs in a person in the body. The most common is mononucleosis. The same blood picture is possible with sarcoidosis, mycotic lesions, viral infections, tuberculosis, gonorrhea and rickettsiosis.