Prioritising health and fitness goals has turned out to be of crucial significance over the years. With more focus on a healthy lifestyle and balanced nutritional choices, we need to be fully aware of how our bodies work. If the immune system, which forms the central part of human biology, functions ineffectively, the entire body is sure to collapse at any time. A healthy body helps fight off infections and diseases, which acts as the first stepping stone towards maintaining good health and well-being. 

What is the Importance of Eosinophils?

Eosinophils are a specific type of white blood cell whose primary function is to help fight infections in the body. It also aids in providing good coping mechanisms against allergies and parasitic infections, thus leading to an increased level of natural defence response of our body to foreign alien particles. Even though they form a small part of the entire white cell in the body, deviation from their normal range can be a cause of worry. 

Mostly two situations arise while checking the eosinophil count: it can either be too high or too low. Neither of the situations is ideal, as it points towards a failing immune system and defence mechanism of the body. Think of it like a situation where you have contracted an infection, your body is trying to fight it off, and there is no improvement. It can lead to prolonged infection, turning into a chronic illness. Simply put, eosinophils act as a barrier to protect you from an infection and prevent it from turning into a critical health concern.

What Exactly is an Eosinophil Blood Test?

An eosinophils blood test helps to measure the total number of eosinophils that are present in the blood.  It is measured per volume of the blood. It is part of the complete blood count (CBC) test that is performed, but can also be separately checked when the CBC count shows some abnormality. 

The procedure simply involves drawing blood from the vein, and the test results are shared within a time period of 24-48 hours. The normal range lies between 30 to 350 cells per microlitre of blood. Anything above a value of 500 is considered to be the starting range of high eosinophil count. The test is a means to check whether the immune system in our body is coping well with the infections and allergies it gets exposed to. 

What is Checked Through the Eosinophil Blood Test?

Certain parameters are checked through the eosinophils blood test, which helps the doctor to get a better understanding of the unexplained illness or issues that a patient may be suffering from. The test mainly helps you understand the following aspects-

Why is it Done?

An eosinophil count test is usually recommended when a routine blood test shows abnormal results or when a doctor suspects an underlying condition that may be affecting the immune system. Since eosinophils play an important role in allergic reactions, parasitic infections, and inflammation, an abnormal count can provide valuable clues about a person's overall health.

Doctors commonly recommend an eosinophil count test when a patient experiences the following symptoms or health concerns:

• Infections
• Allergic Reactions
• Issues of Inflammation
• Breathing Difficulty
• Unexplained rashes
• Persistent Itching

These issues, if they have been present for a long duration of time, are a cause of worry. This is when the doctor can ask you to get a detailed report and blood test done to rule out any chronic illness, once the eosinophil test is done and checked. 

What is the Main Reason for High Eosinophil Count?

Our body has an in-built mechanism to fight off infections by the production of more white blood cells, which are predominantly involved in safeguarding the immune system. So if your count is showing high, it means that the body is trying to cope with and fight off a foreign particle or organism that can alter and deteriorate the overall health. Usually, the reason for a high eosinophil count can be due to multiple reasons:

• Medications: Detrimental reaction of the body to certain types of drugs and medications.
• Autoimmune Diseases: Occurrence of diseases like shulman syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, and vasculitis. 
• Allergic Reactions: Mainly includes issues caused by asthma, eczema, pollens, and allergens. 
• Malignancies: Presence of leukemia or lymphoma leads to elevated levels of eosinophils. 
• Skin Disorders: Severe case of dermatitis or other skin issues.

What is the Treatment Plan Followed?

There is no universal treatment plan followed to manage the levels of high eosinophil count. The doctors always try to find the root cause behind the levels of elevation, and accordingly plan out a treatment option. Different scenarios play out for the same:

• Fungal or Parasitic Infections: Prescription of antifungal or antiparasitic medication. The doctor asks you to avoid taking corticosteroids.
• Allergies, Asthma, or Skin Issue: Under these situations, the doctors provide you with a nasal spray, antihistamines, or biologics.
• Issues with Medications: Body reaction to new medication and drug can also elevate the levels. The best treatment plan that can be followed would be to immediately stop the medication or find an alternative option for it.
• Gastrointestinal Disorders: If high levels are detected in the stomach, a combination of diet restriction and introduction of certain medications (immunosuppressive) would be done. 

Apart from all these scenarios, if there is organ damage, it can either mean hypereosinophilic syndrome or cancer. The doctors would immediately try to prevent further damage and bring down the level by giving corticosteroids, and start with chemotherapy or targeted therapies.

Is Low Eosinophil Count Worrisome?

Low eosinophil count in itself is not as worrisome as a high eosinophil count. In such scenarios, the immune system has a coping mechanism to compensate for the low count.  Most of the time, it occurs as a temporary reaction to corticosteroid medication, acute infections, or stress. 

But if the count remains low for a prolonged period of time, the doctor can ask you to get further tests done, as the low levels are most likely due to a primary pressing cause. The common scenarios usually include an untreated infection or medication, which is eliminated through therapy and a change in the medication dosage. 

Conclusion

Our body has a unique way of fighting against infections of any kind. It is smart enough to understand and remember a foreign invasion of one type and then, accordingly, fight it when it encounters it for the second time. But, many times, due to our negligence or overlooking symptoms of illness or sickness, we end up worsening our health, leading to dire situations. What follows then would be months of treatment, rehabilitation, medication and coping with post-recovery. This not only causes mental and physical exhaustion, but it can also cause financial constraints. 

We at Niva Bupa health insurance plans are well aware of these conditions, and would help you with a hand to make the treatment process hassle-free. The plans we offer would be customized as per your needs and requirements to help you access the best of hospital facilities and services.

FAQ

1. What are the common symptoms of eosinophilia (high eosinophil count)?

The common symptoms of eosinophilia are infections, allergic reactions, inflammatory issues, breathing difficulty, unexplained rashes, and persistent itching. In some cases, the person can also have fatigue and rapid weight loss. It then becomes important for them to get their blood work done for a detailed evaluation. 

2. Can High Eosinophils Cause Permanent Damage to the Body?

If the levels of eosinophils have been elevated for a prolonged period of time, they can subsequently lead to the release of toxic proteins from these granulocytes (eosinophils), leading to an extreme case of inflammation and permanent damage to an organ or tissue.

The most common organs that can be affected by the levels are the gastrointestinal tract, heart, nervous system, and lungs. So, in case it is caught early, doctors immediately start with corticosteroids, therapies, and targeted medication to prevent further damage. 

3. Is a high eosinophil count genetic or hereditary?

A high eosinophil count can be hereditary in rare cases. Most of the time, it is caused by non-genetic factors like asthma, medications, allergies, parasitic or fungal infections. 

4. Which age group suffers the most from eosinophilia?

Eosinophilia can occur in both children and adults. Among children and infants, mild cases are seen, mostly due to allergic or parasitic reactions. For young and middle-aged adults, severe case of asthma and gastrointestinal issues causes the elevation. When we talk about older adults, well above 60+, the high levels are usually connected with severe cases of malignancies and autoimmune diseases.