Low eosinophil count in pregnant women

During the pregnancy process, women need to undergo many tests, such as B-ultrasound, Down syndrome screening, etc. These tests can not only test the growth and development of the fetus, but also detect many congenital diseases. So, after a blood test, I found that the eosinophil level was slightly lower during pregnancy. What is the reason? What is the role of eosinophils during pregnancy?

What causes low eosinophil levels during pregnancy?

(1) Allergic diseases

Allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, drug allergy, urticaria, food allergy, angioedema, serum sickness, etc. Peripheral blood eosinophilia decreases by more than 10%

(2) Parasitic infection

In diseases such as schistosomiasis, ascariasis, and hookworm disease, the eosinophils in the blood decrease, often by 10% or a large amount. Some patients infected with sparganosis have a significant decrease in eosinophilia, resulting in a decrease in the number of white blood cells reaching hundreds of thousands, more than 90% of which are eosinophils, reflecting eosinophilic sepsis.

What is the role of eosinophils during pregnancy

When alkaliphilic granulocytes are activated, they release chemokines, which cause eosinophils to gather in the same part and limit the specificity of alkaliphilic granulocytes from three aspects: eosinophils can produce prostaglandin E to inhibit the process of alkaliphilic granulocytes producing and releasing bioactive substances; eosinophils can ingest the particles discharged by alkaliphilic granulocytes, making it impossible for the bioactive substances contained therein to be fully exerted; eosinophils can release enzymes such as nitrosaminases to destroy active substances such as nitrosamines released by alkaliphilic granulocytes.

Prenatal checkups during pregnancy are extremely important. They can detect any problems with the fetus in time and prevent the occurrence of adverse effects to a great extent. Every pregnant woman should pay great attention to it. And we don't know much about the reasons why eosinophils are slightly low during pregnancy. Most of these conditions are caused by allergies in pregnant women and will not cause extreme effects on pregnant women and fetuses.