When trying to explain to patients about their disease or the mechanisms behind it we are at times guilty of taking too much for granted. One of the mechanisms we have been trying to get across to our patients with asthma is the importance of a white blood cell called an eosinophil or eos for short.
Since I have been at this for a long time, I can tell you that the importance of this white blood cell in the overall management of patients with asthma was not always realized. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell produced in our bone marrow that are called granulocytes. They are called this because they contain granules that contain powerful chemicals which can cause significant reactions in our bodies.
Most eosinophils, although produced in our bone marrow are most often found in the tissues of the respiratory tract, GI tract and the urogenital tracts. They are found elsewhere as well but when it comes to asthma, we are most concerned about the respiratory tract. Physicians now are aware that elevations in the number of eosinophils in the blood are associated with specific types of asthma issues such as frequent exacerbations and difficulty in controlling symptoms with the usual therapies available. The good news is that we have been using specific medications called biologics which help control the amount and effects of the eosinophils in our respiratory tract.
We may not always explain all of this well and I hope this helps.
