Distinguishment of parasite-infected children from pediatric inpatients with both eosinophilia and effusion

摘要

Patients with both serous effusion and eosinophilia are rarely reported and geographically distributed; their early diagnosis is difficult. According to the ultimate diagnosis, patients (≤14 years) in West China Second hospital with serous effusion and eosinophilia were divided into two groups including a parasitic group and a non-parasitic group. Clinical data were collected and analyzed between the two groups. Subsequently, significant measurement indicators were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to explore the optimal cut-off points for the most appropriate sensitivity and specificity. A total of 884 patients were diagnosed with serous effusion and 61 of them displayed co-morbidity with eosinophilia during enrolled time. Among 61 patients, 34 patients had parasitic infection and 27 had non-parasitic diseases. There were statistical difference in effusion position, the levels of white blood cell count (WBC), eosinophil (EOS), EOS%, C-reactive protein (CRP) between parasitic group and non-parasitic group. ROC curve demonstrated that the areas under the curve of EOS count and EOS% were 80%, and the corresponding optimal cut-off values were 1.71 × 10 9 /L and 25.6% for distinguishing between parasitic and non-parasitic infections in our patients. This study provided a quantified index for potentially quick and convenient indicators of pediatric patients presenting with both eosinophilia and effusion . Eosinophils were helpful to improve the initial diagnosis with awareness of parasitic diseases. For the cases with EOS 1.71 × 10 9 /L or EOS% 25.6%, parasitic infection should be considered and serological tests are recommended in our region.