Eosinophilia: symptoms, diagnosis

What're the symptoms of eosinophilia?
If you experience any of these symptoms do not assume it is due to eosinophilia. These symptoms may be caused by other, less serious health conditions. eosinophilia due to asthma appear symptoms such as wheezing and breathlessness, whereas parasitic infections may lead to abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever, or cough and rashes. Medicine reactions often lead to skin rashes, and they often occur after taking a new drug. Other symptoms of eosinophilia include weight loss, night sweats, lymph node enlargement and numbness and tingling due to nerve damage.

How is diagnosis for eosinophilia?
Eosinophilia in the bloodstream is diagnosed from a simple blood test. Tissue eosinophilia is diagnosed by the examination of the relevant tissue. For example, a piece of skin tissue can be removed (a skin biopsy) and examined under a microscope.

Once a diagnosis has been made your family doctor can help to establish the cause of the condition. Simple skin or blood tests may be performed to confirm specific allergies, such as pollen or dust mite allergy. Parasitic infection can be determined by analysing blood and stool samples.

Tests may include the following:

• Full blood count, including differential white cell count.
• Lumbar puncture: CSF eosinophilia due to worm infections (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), drug reactions, and coccidioidomycosis fungal meningitis.
• CT scans of the lungs, abdomen, pelvis, and brain evaluate for focal defects due to diverse causes of eosinophilia, e.g.:
  
• Worm infections of the liver (Fasciola hepatica) can cause focal hepatic lesions.
  
• Coccidioidomycosis fungal infection can cause focal lesions in the lung, which are visible on a chest x-ray or CT scan.
  
• Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma can cause lymphadenopathy in the abdomen, which can be seen on a CT scan.
• Echocardiogram to assess for thrombi (mural, endocardial) due to Hypereosinophilic syndrome
• Cystoscopy: all patients with blood eosinophilia and hematuria should have their urine examined for the eggs of Schistosoma haematobium. Cystoscopy may be required to confirm the diagnosis.