The Relationship between Eosinophil Density in the Colonic Mucosa and Eosinophil Blood Count in Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Eosinophils are found in the mucosa of the healthy gastrointestinal tract, but they also often accompany gastrointestinal diseases. We hypothesized that a positive correlation exists between blood eosinophil count and colonic eosinophil mucosal density in children. Electronic health records regarding 181 colonoscopies, performed with biopsy in the years 2019–2022, were screened for information on blood and colonic eosinophil count, age, sex, diagnoses, weight, height, white blood cell (WBC) count, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), and total IgE concentration. The median age (IQR) of the 107 included children (109 colonoscopies) was 12.4 years (8.1–15.5); 32 presented with blood eosinophilia (29.3%). The median eosinophil density/high-power field in the colonic mucosa was 22.5 (9–31). We found a weak correlation between colonic mucosal eosinophil density and blood eosinophil count (r = 0.295, 95% CI 0.108–0.462, p = 0.0018). This association was more pronounced in patients with elevated CRP (r = 0.529, 95% CI 0.167–0.766, p = 0.0054) and older than 12.4 years (r = 0.448, 95% CI 0.197–0.644, p = 0.00068). Peripheral blood eosinophilia might hint at increased mucosal colonic eosinophil density, especially in older children and in the presence of systemic inflammation. However, it seems unlikely that blood and colonic eosinophilia are strongly linked in younger children. Studies in adults are warranted.