Esinophils are blood cells that belong to leukocytes and perform an extremely important function of protecting the human body. Immediately after the formation in the bone marrow, the ezinophils enter the bloodstream and within a few hours pass into the tissues where the
functions. If an infection or inflammation focusesin the body, eosinophils penetrate to it and activate special receptors in the cells responsible for immunity.
What does this mean? The situation, when in adults eosinophils are lowered or completely absent in the peripheral blood, is called eosinopenia. In combination with leukocytosis and neutrophileosis of eosinopenia, this indicates an acute inflammatory process in the body and is an indicator of adequate hematopoiesis.
Why do we need eosinophils, and what is it?
Eosinophilic granulocytes are a subset of granulocyte blood leukocytes. They received their name because they are stained with a dye eosin in contrast to basophils( stained with basic dyes) and neutrophils( both dyes).Also eosinophils differ in bipartite nucleus, whereas in basophils it is not segmented, and in neutrophils it has 4-5 parts.
The main task of eosinophils is to penetrate into the inflammatory focus and activate in it the cellular receptors responsible for antiparasitic immunity. In other words, eosinophils of blood provoke cells around the parasite to self-destruct, thereby surrounding the parasite in a capsule from its membranes. This capsule becomes a beacon for other, more aggressive cells and immune system substances, and tells them where the parasite is.
Norm of eosinophil content in the blood
The normal content of eosinophils in the blood of an adult is between 1 and 5% of the total number of leukocytes. At the same time, the indices of these cells are not constant and vary within a day. So, in the daytime their amount in the blood is minimal, and at night, during sleep, maximum.
The determination of the number of eosinophils in the blood is performed using a general( clinical) blood test.
- In an adult and children older than 13 years of age, , the amount of eosinophils in the blood is 0.5 to 5% of the number of all leukocytes or 0.02-0.3 x 109 / L.
- Eosinophils in the blood of in children under 13 years of range from 0.5 to 7%.
Also in some cases, the determination of eosinophils in sputum is carried out.
Causes of decreased eosinophils in the blood
Why are eosinophils lowered in adults, what does it say? A low level of blood cells( eosinopenia) means that in the bone marrow the oppression of their production has occurred, which is characteristic of severe conditions, indicating the depletion of the body's defenses.
Eosinophils in the blood are lowered in the following situations:
- in acute infectious diseases of bacterial genesis( typhoid, diphtheria, pneumonia);
- for peritonitis, sepsis, acute appendicitis;
- for severe injuries and severe burns;after surgical interventions;
- due to toxic shock;with strong physical overstrain and fatigue;
- emotional stress;
- a systematic lack of sleep.
When submitting a blood test, remember that the following factors of the may be affected by the result:
- recently transferred surgical intervention;
- taking medications;
- recent birth, after which the body did not have time to recover.
If less than two weeks have passed after the above events, eosinophils are likely to be reduced.
What to do with eosinopenia
When eosinophils in the blood are lower than normal - this is not a diagnosis, but a condition most often indicative of a disease. The mechanism of development to date is not entirely clear, there are a lot of reasons for its occurrence. Eosinopenia can be a sign of diseases of a different nature and varying degrees of severity.
Therefore, there is no specific treatment for violation of the level of eosinophils, and all actions are directed to the fight against the disease that provoked it, as well as to take general measures to strengthen immunity.
When the decrease in eosinophils is caused by physiological factors( stress, physical overstrain, etc.), the indicators after a while return to normal on their own, and no action is required.