Nearly one in twelve people in the US suffers from some form of asthma. As research into the conditions that underly asthma has gotten more robust, it has become apparent that asthma is not just one condition, but several that can cause similar symptoms. One such condition is eosinophilic asthma. Unlike traditional asthma, it requires some distinct treatments.
Today we’re looking at eosinophil asthma, its symptoms, its causes and how it is diagnosed and treated. It’s distinct from asthma in a number of noteworthy ways. If you feel like you might be suffering from asthma, speak to your doctor. They will be able to help you narrow down your symptoms and figure out what is causing your ailment.
Eosinophilic Asthma
Eosinophilic asthma, commonly shortened to EA, is a severe form of asthma. One of its telltale signs is a very high level of white blood cells in the body. Namely, the condition is marked by the white blood cells in the body causing inflammation in the airways, stopping the normal flow of oxygen throughout the body.
Typically, white blood cells serve a role in the immune system, helping the body to isolate and obliterate foreign contagions. However, in cases of EA, the body’s overabundance of these white blood cells causes swelling and airway blockages, leading to full-blown asthma attacks.
Symptoms
The symptoms of EA are often similar to those of traditional asthma, and some of these symptoms even share similarities to chronic pulmonary obstructive disorder, or COPD. Symptoms can include shortness or breath, wheezing, chronic sinus infection symptoms, coughing, chest tightness, obstructed breathing and even nasal polyps.
One of the most notable symptoms, of course, is the high level of eosinophils in the blood, from which EA derives its name. Since the symptoms of this condition closely mirror several other conditions, it’s important you work with your doctor to understand what exactly is causing your symptoms, so you get the proper treatment for the condition you’re suffering from.
Diagnosis
Often, people are first diagnosed with traditional asthma, even if they have EA. This is because EA’s symptoms are so similar to those of traditional asthma, and some of the only tests that can easily determine if this isn’t the case is bloodwork. As such, asthma sufferers who aren’t responding well to traditional asthma treatment, like inhalers, might be suffering from EA.
Other tests that might be able to determine the presence of EA, instead of asthma, would be a physical exam. If the physical found that the patient suffered from nasal polyps, that could be an indicator that they were dealing with EA, instead of asthma.
Treatment
Inhaled corticosteroids, the common treatment for traditional asthma, may have less effect on someone suffering from EA. Larger doses might have some impact early on, but constantly increasing the dosage has diminishing returns and stops helping after a time. As such, doctors typically prefer to address the inflammation cause by EA through different medications.
One such medication is a corticosteroid in pill form, which can have some success in preventing inflammation. However, these have a number of side effects that inhaled corticosteroids don’t usually entail. Likewise, rescue inhalers might be prescribed, but they have diminishing returns for people with EA.
Other treatment options could include leukotrienes modifiers, which help to keep the impact of eosinophils down. Leukotrienes tend to pair up with eosinophils, so modifying them can impact the inflammatory nature of the eosinophils. Another option for treatment is biologic therapies, medications that block out chemicals that are typically connected to causing inflammation in the body. These medications are usually delivered via an IV or an injection, as they operate best intravenously.