title: Eosinophilia: a pragmatic approach to diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: Eosinophilia is associated with a wide variety of allergic, rheumatologic, infectious, neoplastic, and rare idiopathic disorders. Clinical manifestations range from benign asymptomatic presentations to life-threatening complications, including endomyocardial fibrosis and thromboembolism. The prognosis and choice of treatment depend not only on the degree of eosinophilia and severity of organ involvement, but also on the etiology of the eosinophilia. Unfortunately, despite recent advances in molecular and immunologic techniques, the etiology remains unproven in the overwhelming majority of cases. This review presents a practical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting with unexplained marked eosinophilia. A brief overview of the mechanisms of eosinophilia and eosinophil pathogenesis is also provided.
authors.affiliation: Human Eosinophil Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Amy D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Klion
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004719:Endomyocardial Fibrosis / Q000150:complications; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D017681:Hypereosinophilic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D007249:Inflammation; D007938:Leukemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000150:complications; D016896:Treatment Outcome