EMS and Eosinophil Count
Introduction
The purpose of this poll taken in May 2003 was to ask persons with EMS (all
using e-mail) whether their last blood tests showed normal or abnormal eosinophil
levels. I assumed from what I have heard and read that most responses would come
back as "normal" since articles have told us over the years that the Eosinophil
Count almost always returns to normal after the acute phase of EMS. A minority of
persons continue to have an abnormal Eosinophil Count, usually slightly elevated,
though some persons have reported recurring episodic times of high counts requiring
treatment and then a return to normal or near-normal levels. For instance, I recall
a person whose count went up to 30% around 1996 necessitating vigorous treatment
for a time.
It seems there may be a few persons with EMS, also, who always
have elevated counts; and, there are a few others who had elevated counts prior to
getting EMS. We know that a small percentage of persons never "fit" into
what the medical labs call "normal" but will fall outside of those numbers.
In fact, a doctor told me recently that it's not unusual for anyone to have some
test results vary by 10% or so if tested time after time - perhaps every week to
10 days for a few months. Nobody maintains the same test result for ALL tests all
of the time. Many factors go into what various test results will be on any particular
occasion.
So, what is a normal Eosinophil Count?
Most labs cite
0-4% or 0-5% as normal for Eosinophil Count under what is called the "Diff Type"
on blood test results. "Diff" stands for "differential." A few
labs will give as high as 0-7%. On the lab sheets, you will often see the word "auto"
above the line of figures for the counts of Eosinophils, Neutrophils, Monocytes,
etc. However, there is another way to measure Eosinophil Count and that is the Absolute
Count.
Let's use an old lab sheet of mine as an example. This lab (test taken
in 1999) gives 0-7% as the "normal" count result for Eosinophils under
"CBC with Differential/Platelet." After this, there appear the various
"Absolute Count" results given this way: Eosinophil (Absolute Count). So
it appears as:
EOSINOPHILS....... 1%... [0-7] (what that lab considered
normal)
EOSINOPHILS....... (ABSOLUTE COUNT)... 0.0 ...THOUS/uL... 0.0-0.4
(normal range)
So, as you see, my count was given two ways - as 1% and
as 0.0. Of the 10 persons who gave their test count results, most appear to have
given the "auto" count, but one or two may be the "absolute"
count method.
Once my count began to go down, it fell to 7% (auto) in May
1990. On almost all my tests in the past 8 years or more (where I've thought to ask),
the count has been 1 or 2%.
QUESTION 1: When you had your
last blood tests done (CBC), did the doctor tell you the Eosinophil Count was normal?
If you can recall the count (figure), what was it? Providing the count figure is
optional.
Normal: 21 of 24 respondents (87.5%)
Not normal:
3 of 24 respondents (12.5%)
Count: The following figures were provided
and will be given as sent to me by the 10 persons:
0.1 (probably an absolute
count)
1%
2%
2%
usually about 2%
3%
3%
3.61 (not sure if this
is an absolute count or percentage)
9%
15% (range: 10% to 25% on tests)
QUESTION 2: If your count was elevated on the last test (above
normal), is that your usual test result?
*Yes, for respondent
citing result of 7-9% on tests
Note: One person with "not
normal" results cited figures ranging from 10-25% on tests, so their
last result of 15% could not be said to be the "usual" result with
certainty. What is certain is that this person has an elevated count all of the time.
This person used to take prednisone to keep the count down; however, steroids are
not used to treat eosinophilia now. This person may have had a higher than "normal"
Eosinophil Count prior to EMS, as some persons do who don't fall within
the labs' figures.
Note: One person said their test result was "not
normal" but then said they did not know the figure but that the result was "unknown
but very low." For the question about elevated count, they replied with a question
mark (?) for both "yes" and "no" and wrote again: "unknown."
The person has never been treated for elevated eosinophils since onset.
QUESTION 3: Have you ever had to be treated for elevated eosinophils
again since onset of EMS?
NO: 21 of 24 (87.5%)
YES: 3
(12.5%) Two of the three persons answering "yes" are not
among the three persons as those answering "not normal" on the
question asking if their last test results were "not normal." One
person had a normal test result last time but simply indicated they had undergone
treatment at some time or another for elevated eosinophils since onset. Another person
also had a normal test result last time on their test but indicated they had undergone
treatment at some point or another for eosinophilia.