A diagnostic protocol designed for determining allergic causes in patients with blood eosinophilia

Table 4 Classification of the causes of allergic eosinophilia found in 406 patients

Causes of allergic eosinophilia		Number of positive and negative diagnostics
Parasitology^{a, b}
	a-Strongyloidiasis found by clinical examination (presence of larva currens)	2
	b-Various helminthiases detected by microscopy examination	42
	c-Various helminthiases diagnosed by serology^c	238
Mycology
	a-Bronchopulmonary aspergillosis	1
	b-Epidermomycosis due to Trichophyton mentagrophytes or T. rubrum	2
	c-Fungal sinusitis due to Aspergillus fumigatus	1
Allergy
	a-Atopic status only^d	11
	b-Drug allergy	13
Therapeutic challenges^e
	a-Positive result	40
	b-Test providing no information^f	39
	c-Patient not following-up	17

350 patients were diagnosed as having an allergic cause of eosinophilia in a total of 406 patients
^aif double positivity (direct examination and serology), only the microscopy result was retained
^bin cases of multiple helminth infections, only one diagnostic was recorded per patient
^cif presence of multiple positive results (cross-reactions or multiple infections), then only the most prominent diagnostic was retained per patient
^ddiagnostic retained following advice from specialists in allergology
^etherapeutic challenges were used prior to any further investigation in any asymptomatic eosinophilic patient. The blood eosinophil count was checked 3 weeks after the end of both treatments, and normalization was considered as indirect evidence of taeniasis or enterobiasis. In symptomatic patients, therapeutic challenges were also used when no diagnosis was reached following the completion of the investigations. Check-up consultation also took place 3 weeks after the therapies ended. A therapeutic challenge was considered as positive when clinical symptoms - if present - and eosinophilia disappeared simultaneously, or at least substantially decreased
^fno diagnostic reached, further referral to another Department

ISSN: 2054-9369