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A short answer is that eosinophils are increased in parasitic infections; however, there are also other conditions which can cause eosinophilia to occur.

Functions of eosinophils

Eosinophils play a role in fighting viral infections which is evident from the abundance of RNAses they contain within their granules.
Eosinophils also play a role in the allergic response, and in fibrin removal in inflammation.
Eosinophils are considered the main effector cells in asthma pathogenesis and are associated with disease severity.
Eosinophils fight helminth (worm) colonization and may be slightly elevated in the presence of certain parasites.

Eosinophilia

An increase in eosinophils, i.e. the presence of more than 500 eosinophils/microlitre of blood is called an eosinophilia, and is typically seen in people with a parasitic infection of the intestines, a collagen vascular disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis), malignant diseases such as Hodgkin's Disease, extensive skin diseases (such as exfoliative dermatitis), Addison's Disease, and with the use of certain drugs such as penicillin. In 1989, contaminated l-tryptophan supplements caused a deadly form of eosinophilia known as eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome.

I've been taught that some people have an idiopathic increase in eosinophils, but suffer no ill effects from it. I myself usually run somewhere in the 9-13% range. However, 22% seems a bit high, and you should try to find out what's causing it.

2006-11-02 08:32:18 · answer #1 · answered by Future ER Doc 3 · 0 0

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