Info
pathophysiology-of-hypereosinophilic syndrome
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In hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), eosinophils damage the tissues that they infiltrate.
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Common target organs include the skin, lung, and gastrointestinal tract.
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Less commonly, patients can have potentially life-threatening damage to the cardiovascular system and brain.
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Activated eosinophils may damage tissues in a number of mechanisms, which are described in more detail separately. (See “Eosinophil biology and causes of eosinophilia”.)
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Eosinophils are derived from myeloid progenitors in the bone marrow, through the action of three hematopoietic cytokines: granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-3 (IL-3), and interleukin-5 (IL-5).
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Of these three, only IL-5 is specific for eosinophil differentiation.