Eosinophils in Health and Disease: A State-of-the-Art Review

Eosinophils play a homeostatic role in the body ’s immune responses. These cells are involved in combating some parasitic, bacterial, and viral infections and certain cancers and have pathologic roles in diseases including asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders, and hypereosinophilic syndromes. Treatment of eosinophilic diseases has traditionally been through nonspecific eosinophil attenuation by use of glucocorticoids. However, several novel biologic therapies targeting eosinophil maturation factors, such as interleukin (IL)-5 and the IL-5 receptor or IL-4/IL-13, have recently been appro ved for clinical use.
Source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research