An Absolute Eosinophil Count test (AEC Test) is a
type of blood test that helps measure the number of white blood called
eosinophils in the blood. Eosinophils typically have two distinctive features –
they activate when the body has been attached by an infection, allergic disease
or a medical condition, and create an inflammatory response, especially in case
of an allergy and asthma.
When is an Absolute Eosinophil Count Test Ordered?
A physician is likely to order an Absolute
Eosinophil Count test to an individual in case has had a while blood count
differential test and the results were abnormal. The test showcases whether an
individual has an unusually low or high count of if he/she has atypical cells
which are an outcome of a particular disease.
The physical may also suggest AEC Test to confirm
the presence of certain types of conditions or diseases such as:-
- A chronic allergic reaction,
- Acute hypereosinophilic syndrome
- Infection caused by parasites, and
- Early stages of Cushing’s disease.
What Happens During the Test?
Being a type of blood test, AEC test is easy to
perform and requires no such prior preparation. A pathologist or healthcare
provider draws a sample of blood from the arm’s vein and stores it in special
blood sample tubes. These tubes are then sent to the lab for the experts to
test, draw out results and prepare reports. The test is painless, harmless and
gets over within a couple of minutes.
What do the Test Results mean?
Normal Results - Normal test results means that AEC
must be lower than 350 eosinophil cells per microlitre of blood.
Abnormal Results – In case of any deviation than
the normal range specified above, it confirms that the patient is suffering
from Eosinophilia – a kind of disorder. A high AEC count may be due to the
following reasons:-
- Asthma
- Eczema
- An allergic reaction to parasitic worms,
- Seasonal allergies
- Lupus
- Crohn’s disease
- Scarlet fever
- Leukemia, or
- Ulcerative colitis.
On the other hand, a low count may be due to:-
- Alcohol intoxication, or
- Overproduction of certain kinds of steroids such as cortisol in the body.
Note: - The range mentioned above can vary from one
pathology lab to another.
