title: Incidence of peripheral blood eosinophilia and the threshold eosinophile count for indicating hypereosinophilia-associated diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A definite threshold of the peripheral blood eosinophile count that indicates the presence of hypereosinophilia-associated diseases has not yet been determined.
  
  
  METHODS
  The threshold eosinophile count at which cases of hypereosinophilia-associated diseases (n = 25) can be differentiated from those of bronchial asthma (n = 101) was determined. Then, the incidences of eosinophile counts greater than 1.0 x 10(9)/l or the threshold level, were studied by analysis of 43,805 samples sent to the laboratory, and the diseases associated with the increased counts were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The eosinophile count in cases of hypereosinophilia-associated diseases and in those of bronchial asthma were 10.967 +/- 1.680 x 10(9)/l and 0.574 +/- 0.045 x 10(9)/l, respectively (P < 0.001); the threshold was 2.052 x 10(9)/l. The percentages of samples with an eosinophile count of more than 1.0 x 10(9)/l and 2.052 x 10(9)/l were 0.6% and 0.1%, respectively; the latter comprised of 41 samples from 24 patients including eight with hypereosinophilia-associated diseases. The patients with hypereosinophilia-associated diseases had a significantly higher count, and a higher incidence of counts of more than 2.052 x 10(9)/l, than others, including patients with malignancies and symptoms conventionally referred as "atopic diseases".
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypereosinophilia-associated diseases are associated with a very high eosinophile count of more than 2.052 x 10(9)/l, which was observed rarely.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Immunological Diseases, Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inokuma
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Setoguchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017681:Hypereosinophilic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E