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What is EOS (Eosinophil-Absolute / Percentage) in Blood Test? What is High and Low EOS (Eosinophil) Value? Causes & Treatment?

Updated: Jun 18, 2024

  • EOS (Eosinophil) in blood test is a test that measures the number of eosinophil cells in your blood.

  • Eosinophils are one of 5 types of white blood cells and are produced in the bone marrow.

  • Eosinophils play a role in our body's fight against fungal, bacterial and viral infections. They also contribute significantly to inflammation caused by allergies and asthma.

EOS (Eosinophil) in blood test is a test that measures the number of eosinophil cells in your blood.   Eosinophils are one of 5 types of white blood cells and  are produced in the bone marrow.   Eosinophils play a role in our body's fight against fungal, bacterial and viral infections. They also contribute significantly to inflammation caused by allergies and asthma.  The normal value of eosinophil in a healthy adult is 30 to 350 per microliter. High EOS (Eosinophil) is a value above the upper reference (350 per microliter.) value in a blood test. If eosinophil levels are high in the blood, it is called blood eosinophilia. Low EOS (Eosinophil) is a value below the lower reference (30 per microliter) value. Low eosinophil levels usually have no medical significance. On the contrary, it is desirable for healthy individuals to have a low EOS value in the blood. However, in some cases, low eosinophil levels may be an indicator of a serious disease. This condition is called eosinopenia.
What is EOS (Eosinophil-Absolute / Percentage) in Blood Test? What is High and Low EOS (Eosinophil) Value? Causes & Treatment?

What is A Normal EOS (Eosinophil) Value in Blood Test ?

The normal value of eosinophil in a healthy adult is 30 to 350 per microliter. Reference ranges may vary slightly between laboratories. In adults, up to 500 EOS per microliter is considered normal. In a healthy adult, the amount of EOS is less than 5% of white blood cells.


What is High EOS (Eosinophil) Value in Blood Test?

High EOS (Eosinophil) is a value above the upper reference (350 per microliter.) value in a blood test. If eosinophil levels are high in the blood, it is called blood eosinophilia. High EOS (Eosinophil) is evaluated at 3 different levels:

  • Slightly higher value: 500 - 1500

  • Medium high value: 1500 - 5000

  • Severe high value: ranges from 5000 and above per microliter.

Reference values may vary slightly between laboratories. A high EOS value in a blood test means that your body has increased its production of eosinophils due to an infection or a disease.


What Causes High EOS (Eosinophil)  in Blood Test?

These conditions can cause a high eosinophil count:

  • Infection caused by a parasite or fungus

  • Acute hyper eosinophilic syndrome

  • Parasitic and fungal diseases

  • Allergic reactions

  • Adrenal conditions

  • Skin disorders

  • Toxins

  • Hodgkin's lymphoma

  • Autoimmune disorders

  • Endocrine conditions.

  • Tumors

Parasites and allergies to medicines are common causes of eosinophilia. Hyper eosinophilia can cause organ damage. This is called hyper eosinophilic syndrome. The cause for this syndrome is often unknown. But it can result from some types of cancer such as bone marrow or lymph node cancer.

High EOS (Eosinophil) Symptoms

  • If the number of eosinophils is high, complaints such as fatigue, skin rash, inflammatory swelling on the skin surface, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, stomach and abdominal pain may occur.

  • High eosinophil symptoms may also be related to underlying causes.


How to Treat High EOS (Eosinophil) Level?

  • For the treatment of high EOS, the underlying health problems that cause high EOS should first be investigated.

  • In cases of eosinophilia caused by allergic diseases, antihistamine or corticosteroid treatments may help normalize the values.

  • In cases of high EOS thought to be caused by infection, the type of infection and the region where it develops need to be determined. Once the causative agent of infection is identified, EOS levels can be reduced to normal ranges with the use of antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal or antiparasitic drugs.

  • In some cases, high EOS can be caused by more serious diseases such as Hodgkin's disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, some hormonal disorders, and some types of cancer. In such cases, additional treatments need to be applied after the underlying health problem is diagnosed.


What is Low EOS (Eosinophil) in Blood Test?

Low EOS (Eosinophil) is a value below the lower reference (30 per microliter) value. Low eosinophil levels usually have no medical significance. On the contrary, it is desirable for healthy individuals to have a low EOS value in the blood. However, in some cases, low eosinophil levels may be an indicator of a serious disease. This condition is called eosinopenia.


What Causes Low EOS (Eosinophil) in Blood Test?

Some possible factors that cause low EOS (Eosinophil) include:

  • Excessive alcohol use

  • Hypoglycemia

  • Stress

  • Long-term use of birth control pills

  • Use of other hormone-containing drugs

  • Sepsis

  • Cushing's syndrome and some other diseases that affect hormonal activity

  • Kidney and liver diseases and some other chronic diseases


How to Treat Low EOS (Eosinophil) Level?

To treat high EOS, the underlying cause must first be identified. Your doctor may request additional tests for this. After making the diagnosis, he will apply the treatment protocol. You can also improve your immune system by avoiding smoking and alcohol and eating healthy.

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