What are eosinophil granulocytes?
Eosinophil granulocytes are a subgroup of white blood cells (leukocytes). The doctor determines the leukocyte blood values as part of the complete blood count. Eosinophil granulocytes make up around one to four percent of all white blood cells (in adults), whereby the values fluctuate over the course of the day.
The term “eosinophilic” comes from histology: the cells can be easily stained with the dye eosin and then appear reddish or pink under the microscope.
Eosinophil granulocytes: normal values
The normal range for eosinophils depends on age and gender. It is given as a percentage (proportion of total leukocyte count):
|
age |
female |
male |
|
up to 14 days |
0,4 – 4,6 % |
0,3 – 5,2 % |
|
15 to 30 days |
0,0 – 5,3 % |
0,2 – 5,4 % |
|
31 to 60 days |
0,0 – 4,1 % |
0,0 – 4,5 % |
|
61 to 180 days |
0,0 – 3,6 % |
0,0 – 4,0 % |
|
0.5 to 1 year |
0,0 – 3,2 % |
0,0 – 3,7% |
|
2 to 5 years |
0,0 – 3,3 % |
0,0 – 4,1 % |
|
6 to 11 years |
0,0 – 4,0 % |
0,0 – 4,7 % |
|
12 to 17 years |
0,0 – 3,4 % |
0,0 – 4,0 % |
|
from 18 years |
0,7 – 5,8 % |
0,8 – 7,0 % |
When are eosinophil granulocytes elevated?
- allergic diseases (for example asthma or hay fever)
- Collagenoses (connective tissue diseases such as lupus erythematosus or scleroderma)
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
- Chronic eosinophilic leukemia
When are eosinophil granulocytes low?
If eosinophils are too low, doctors call this eosinopenia. It is typical of stressful situations, including
Another possible reason for too few eosinophil granulocytes in the blood is the prolonged use of glucocorticoids (“cortisone”).