Eosinophilia - Causes

Causes

Eosinophilia can be idiopathic (primary) or, more commonly, secondary to another disease. In the Western World, allergic or atopic diseases are the most common causes, especially those of the respiratory or integumentary systems. In the developing world, parasites are the most common cause. A parasitic infection of nearly any bodily tissue can cause eosinophilia. Diseases that feature eosinophilia as a sign include the following:

• Allergic disorders
  • Asthma
  • Hay fever
  • Drug allergies
  • Allergic skin diseases
    • Pemphigus
    • Dermatitis herpetiformis
• Parasitic infections
• Some forms of malignancy
  • Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • Some forms of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Systemic autoimmune diseases (e.g. SLE)
• Some forms of vasculitis (e.g. Churg-Strauss syndrome)
• Cholesterol embolism (transiently)
• Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever), a fungal disease prominent in the US Southwest.
• Interstitial nephropathy
• Hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome, an immune disorder characterized by high levels of serum IgE.