Eosinophilia is a popular medical term used by doctors for referring to the increase in eosinophil count. These are a kind of white blood cell, which, when increased, indicate an underlying health condition.
A blood test result becomes necessary to determine the causes of high eosinophils in the body. Some common causes can range from parasite infections to amiable food allergies. Covid-related health issues or some severe types of cancer can also result in eosinophilia.
In this article, you’ll learn about the various early eosinophilia symptoms and how to prevent or treat it. So, let’s get started.
Common Eosinophilia Symptoms To Know About
The eosinophilia symptoms and their severity vary significantly from one individual to another. In the majority of cases, there’s rapid onset of this condition. The early signs and symptoms of eosinophilia comprise cramping and spasms, muscle aches, and breathing difficulties like shortness of breath.
Muscle Pain –
Myalgia or muscle pain happens and can worsen progressively. In the end, muscle pain can become debilitating, which means you face difficulty in performing day-to-day activities like walking. You’ll often find an impact on your shoulders, back, and leg muscles.
Any exercise or movement can trigger or activate your muscle spasms. You may not witness muscle weakness until the end of the condition.
Some additional eosinophilia symptoms that occur during the early phase of this condition are swelling caused by abnormal fluid accumulation (edema), joint pain (arthralgia), fatigue, fever, cough, and tingling sensation or numbness in the legs, arms, feet, or hands. Let’s talk about them in detail:
Itchy Rashes –
An extremely itchy rash is also one of the major eosinophilia symptoms. This acute or early eosinophilia stage typically lasts about three to six months. These rashes may occur throughout your body, but mostly in your legs and arms.
These rashes can make it difficult for you to go outside and do your daily activities. You may find it difficult to focus on doing anything other than itching yourself.
Gastrointestinal Symptoms Like Diarrhea –
Gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, anorexia, abdominal pain, etc., are often linked with eosinophilia and occur when you experience it.
These symptoms occur due to autoimmune, infectious, or other factors. When the eosinophilic infiltrates the stomach and intestine, it results in gastrointestinal problems like these.
Breathing Problems Like Asthma –
Eosinophilic asthma is a medical condition or type of breathing problem due to increased levels of eosinophils (white blood cells) in the lungs’ airways.
The main function of these white blood cells is to assist your body in combating infections. However, an increase in these immune cells can be overactive and result in inflammation of the lungs. This triggers asthma in people.
Eosinophilia Cough –
One of the main reasons behind people having chronic coughs is eosinophilic bronchitis. This happens due to the increase in the levels of white blood cells in your airways, resulting in bronchitis.
The increased WBCs (eosinophilia) causes inflammation of the airways and, thus, cough. However, you won’t experience any narrowing of the airways (which means bronchospasm).
Can Eosinophilia Cure?
Several underlying causes lead to the occurrence of eosinophilia. If you can treat the medical conditions responsible for causing eosinophilia, you can also cure eosinophilia.
A few health conditions that result in high WBCs count, like lung cancer and leukemia, are serious. If you’re worried about your eosinophilia levels, contact your doctor today!
Can I Prevent Eosinophilia?
One of the most common reasons for having high eosinophil levels is allergies. If you undergo treatments for controlling allergic reactions in the body, you can conveniently control or prevent allergy-related eosinophilia.
However, eosinophilia can often indicate a medical condition that you may find difficult to prevent or control.
How Can Doctors Help You With Eosinophilia?
To treat eosinophilia, the doctor will ensure treating the underlying health condition that’s responsible for the high levels of eosinophil in your body. For instance, your doctor may prescribe medications or steroids if you suffer from eosinophilic esophagitis.
Suppose you have chronic sinusitis or allergies causing high levels of eosinophilia in the body. In that case, your doctor may suggest taking an allergy test to determine what leads to the allergic reaction that ultimately triggers your eosinophilia.
When there’s a medication responsible for your eosinophilia, your doctor advises you to stop or avoid taking that medication altogether.
Conclusion
You may consider eosinophilia to be a life-threatening condition. Luckily, this condition is transient and needs minimal or no treatment in most cases.
However, in some people, diagnosis and treatment may become essential. If you experience any of the above-mentioned early eosinophilia symptoms, it’s best to consult your doctor to be on the safe side.
The doctors at Apollo Hospitals are experienced and skilled in handling cases of eosinophilia. Visit Ask Apollo to choose the best doctor and book an appointment today!