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Médecine et Santé Tropicales

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Blood eosinophilia in the tropics Volume 23, issue 2, Avril-Mai-Juin 2013

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Authors
Service de pathologie infectieuse et tropicale, HIA Laveran, 34 boulevard Laveran, BP 60149 13384 Marseille Cedex 13, France

Blood eosinophilia is an abnormal laboratory finding defined by the presence of more than 0.5 G/L of eosinophils. The most common causes for it in tropical zones are various forms of helminthic infections. Medication side effects and atopic phenomena are less frequent than in the industrialized countries. It can also result from a systemic condition. Its discovery requires a pragmatic etiological investigation, trial treatments, and follow-up based on screening for chronic blood diseases and for serious visceral injuries linked to chronic tissue eosinophil toxicity.