Those with a peripheral blood eosinophil count greater than 350 per mm3 suffer from eosinophilia. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell, most of which reside in tissues in the upper respiratory system and the gastrointestinal tract.
The function of eosinophils is not well understood. Some hypotheses propose that they act through hormones to modulate the intensity of certain immunoglobin mediated reactions and to protect against certain metazoan parasites. Prolonged periods of abnormally elevated amounts of eosinophils, however, can lead to tissue damage in the lungs, heart, skin, gut, joints and the central nervous system.
The most common causes of eosinophilia are allergic and atopic (genetically predisposed hypersensitivity allergy) diseases. Certain bacterial, viral and fungal infections, neoplastic diseases, connective tissue and skin disorders, and certain drugs, however, have also been associated with eosinophilia.
Eosinophilic pneumonias, a group of diseases characterized by eosinophilic pulmonary infiltration in addition to peripheral blood eosinophilia, has both known and unknown causes, although the use of certain drugs has been associated with it. Simple pulmonary eosinophilia, also known as Löffler’s syndrome, is typically accompanied by minimal respiratory symptoms and a low-grade fever, and often results in a relatively quick recovery.
Following is a list of drug classes, the use of which have been associated with eosinophilia, followed by a list of specific drugs that have been associated with eosinophilic pneumonias.
Drug classes associated with eosinophilia include:
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Drugs associated with pulmonary infiltrate with eosinophilia include:
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