My One Consistent Lab Abnormality: High Eosinophils, Who Else???

[CharmedLinz]

My One constant lab finding over the past 3 years has been a HIGH Eosinophil count on my CBC.

It's also continued to creep up higher and at last count two weeks ago was 13.

All my Docs have noticed but no one is real concerned about it because it can be caused by both allergies and Adrenal Insufficiency, to which I have both.

However when I was googling it some other more critical stuff popped up including some types of Eosinophilia ending up causing some fibrosis and even myocarditis.

I don't jump to conclusions easily but it also showed up while doing more Mast Cell reading and also while reading about the Complements.

So when I had my blood drawn last week for all the newest ideas and Complements (thanks Ladybug) I had my Doctors add on a urine Eosinophil which came back clean, so I'm not wasting them into my urine, that's good.

I also had them from an ECP, Eosinophil Cationic Protein. That just came back today and is quite high at 47, my lab range is 5-19.

When I look up high levels of that it is mostly coming up on searches for people with Asthma, which I do NOT have, not even in the slightest.

But, finally an inflammation marker that is high on me, no other ones have been.

I'm still waiting on the Complement Tests with the "A" after, they take awhile, but my basic complements were fine.

So does anyone else have High Eosinophils and/or the ECP???

[LindaJoy]

Hi, Charmed Linz. High eosinophil counts were the first thing we noticed in me when I first got sick. Mine were only 16, still high, but when compared to your 47, wow. I also have extremely high IgE (1650+ on a scale of 0-150).

I'm not a doctor or anything, but I studied eosinophils quite a bit over the years in trying to find out what's wrong with me and using the few positive lab results I had, and continually high eosinophils is not something docs should just shrug off. They're high for a reason. I have allergies--severe allergies--and my eosinophils are not as high as yours.

That said, yours aren't high enough for the condition "eosinophilia," I don't think. But, still, there's something going on. Have you contacted the CURED Foundation? They're a group with info. on eosinophil disorders. They could guide you to some good research docs and answer your questions.

Please keep us posted on what you find. Take care.

Lindajoy

[Birdlady]

I had elevated eosinophils prior to my AI diagnosis. I haven't had them since being treated. Just wanted to throw that one out there! I'm sure there are other causes though.

Here's a study to back this up too. http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/8957461

[LindaJoy]

Hi, Dana. Just curious. I have Addison's and am being treated with Hydrocortisone. Since I've been on the steroids, my eos. numbers are really good, always normal, but a very good normal, if you know what I mean. Not borderline or high, so as to cause question. Anyway, I didn't know that high eos. can come with adrenal issues. Are you on a corticosteroid for your AI? Do you think that the steroids are lowering your eos. or getting the AI under control is lowering them? I know, probably chicken and egg, but this is interesting to me.

Take care everyone.

Linda

[Birdlady]

Yes I am on HC for the AI. I'm not exactly sure why eosinophils are elevated in some patients with AI. haha! All I know is that when I got on HC, they immediately came down and that study also says this too.

[LindaJoy]

I guess if it works, don't question the why, just enjoy it! I'm glad it's helping you. You take care now.

And, Charmed Linz, you hang in there and let us know what you find out.

Lindajoy

[CharmedLinz]

Hi Gals,

Thanks for the responses.

Dana and I have chatted AI in the past.

The strange thing about these labs is they are creeping consistently higher, and I'm on Cortef replacement. Not as much as I'm supposed to be on (20mg) but I'm on 10mg a day total and trying to work up, I don't tolerate it real well.

This is kind of in the same weird pattern as my histamine levels being in the 3500 range even while on horse sized doses of H1 and H2 blockers for Mast Cell stuff.

LindaJoy....... I think I've read that you've been ruled out for Carcinoid???

Right now they are running me through all the tests they can for that and Paraneoplastics because I have all the markers it seems for Carcinoid but the scans are clean.

High Histamine

High Seratonin

High Insulin

Now along with this Eosinophil stuff they did a Chromagranin A as well and my level for that was 45.

That was within range but when I looked up what exactly it is I found several articles saying that levels over 20 and 30 should be suspect of preliminary disease.

Anyone else had the Chroma A test? What was your level?

I did find the CURED foundation and printed some things off.

I found it very interesting that a finding listed was thickening of the abdominal wall due to scar tissue.

When I had my surgery last year they found that my entire abdomen was filled with fibrotic tissue and adhesions.

So that's making me wonder if this is all something to do with Eosinophils, at least the allergic part.

My IGE has been high in the past but this time was normal.

Oh and I should state that my Eosinophils themselves were 13. It was the ECP, Eosinophil Cationic Protein that was 47. From what I'm reading and understanding the ECP is degranualtion of actual Eosinophils. Another similarity to mast cell degranulation I'm suspecting.

Oh my aching brain..... UGH... too much too much

[LindaJoy]

CharmedLinz, my brain aches just reading all this!

Yes, I've had carcinoid ruled out. I have an allergist who says he still thinks I have a neuroendocrine tumor somewhere, and he doesn't care what the tests show. I've had two elevated Chromogranin A tests, that's why I've had the Octreotide scan twice. Both times, a thyroid nodule and my uterus area lit up, but both were dismissed.

I feel like I just keep going in circles, never really ruling anything out positively. It's frustrating.

Hang in there and keep us posted on what you find.

Lindajoy