Eosinophilia in newborn infants

Abstract

To evaluate the clinical significance of eosinophilia in newborn infants, 261 admissions to the neonatal unit over a 12‐month period were studied retrospectively; 33 babies with eosinophilia (<1.0 × 10 9 /1) were studied, Clinical and laboratory data for the first month of life were compared, where available, between gestational age‐matched pairs with and without eosinophilia. Of the 33 babies with eosinophilia, 23 were < 26 weeks' gestation and all had age‐matched controls; 10 were ≤26 weeks' gestation but had no appropriate gestational age‐matched controls. Babies <26 weeks' gestation with eosinophilia had a significantly higher number of septic episodes than controls: 20 of 23 versus 4 of 23. All 10 babies ≤ 26 weeks' gestation with eosinophilia developed sepsis. Infections with gram‐negative organisms and necrotizing enterocolitis occurred only in babies who developed eosinophilia. In 5 babies no cause for the eosinophilia was found. In conclusion, eosinophilia in the newborn is usually explainable and is most often associated with infection.