How do you diagnose eosinophilic pneumonia?
Since eosinophilia is common to a number of conditions, the physician must rule out asthma and infection by helminths when diagnosing eosinophilic pneumonia. A whole blood count will reveal an increased number of eosinophils in the blood. An x ray of the lungs may show the presence of infiltrates (the eosinophils and fluid). If sputum is produced in coughing, eosinophils will be seen instead of the more normal profile of granulocytes seen when an infectious agent is present. Source: The Gale Group. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed.
