Table 3.

Initial assessment of the patient with hypereosinophilia

All patients with confirmed HEComments
Comprehensive history and physical examination Including prior eosinophil counts, medications, travel/exposure history 
Complete blood count with differential and smear* Dysplastic eosinophils, other lineage involvement, and/or presence of myeloid precursors are suggestive of (but not diagnostic for) MHES 
Routine chemistries, including liver function tests* To assess end organ involvement 
Quantitative serum immunoglobulin levels IgE levels are typically elevated in a variety of conditions (ie, LHES, EGPA, parasitic infections, and some immunodeficiencies); IgM levels are elevated in LHES and episodic angioedema and eosinophilia 
Serum tryptase and B12 levels Elevated serum B12 levels can be seen in many myeloid neoplasms; elevated serum tryptase is near universal in PDGFRA and KIT-associated disease 
T- and B-cell receptor rearrangement studies*; lymphocyte phenotyping by flow cytometry* (see Carpentier et al11 ) Clonal and/or aberrant T-cell populations are characteristic of LHES and some types of lymphoma. Clonal B cells are suspicious for B-cell neoplasm, including pre–B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children/adolescents. 
Serum troponin,* electrocardiogram, and echocardiogram If abnormal, cardiac MRI should be considered 
Chest/abdomen/pelvis CT* To assess for splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, asymptomatic pulmonary involvement, and occult neoplasms 
Biopsy of affected tissues (if possible)* Cardiac tissue involvement can be patchy, limiting the utility of cardiac biopsy 
Selected patients with HE/HES 
Pulmonary function tests* Any patient with suspected pulmonary involvement or abnormal findings on chest CT 
Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy* All patients with AEC >5.0 × 109/L and/or features suggestive of LHES or MHES; patients with clear diagnoses, such as EGPA or parasitic infection, may not need bone marrow testing despite AEC >5.0 × 109/L 
Testing for BCR::ABL1, FIP1L1::PDGFRA, and translocations/mutations involving PDGFRB, JAK2, FGFR1, and KIT Testing should be guided by results of initial testing and bone marrow examination; all patients with elevated serum tryptase and/or B12 levels should be tested for FIP1L1::PDGFRA 
NGS myeloid panel; targeted or whole-exome sequencing; other genetic testing Depending on initial evaluation 
PET scan,* EBV viral load Particularly in patients with suspected LHES 
Other testing for secondary causes As indicated by clinical history and physical examination 
All patients with confirmed HEComments
Comprehensive history and physical examination Including prior eosinophil counts, medications, travel/exposure history 
Complete blood count with differential and smear* Dysplastic eosinophils, other lineage involvement, and/or presence of myeloid precursors are suggestive of (but not diagnostic for) MHES 
Routine chemistries, including liver function tests* To assess end organ involvement 
Quantitative serum immunoglobulin levels IgE levels are typically elevated in a variety of conditions (ie, LHES, EGPA, parasitic infections, and some immunodeficiencies); IgM levels are elevated in LHES and episodic angioedema and eosinophilia 
Serum tryptase and B12 levels Elevated serum B12 levels can be seen in many myeloid neoplasms; elevated serum tryptase is near universal in PDGFRA and KIT-associated disease 
T- and B-cell receptor rearrangement studies*; lymphocyte phenotyping by flow cytometry* (see Carpentier et al11 ) Clonal and/or aberrant T-cell populations are characteristic of LHES and some types of lymphoma. Clonal B cells are suspicious for B-cell neoplasm, including pre–B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children/adolescents. 
Serum troponin,* electrocardiogram, and echocardiogram If abnormal, cardiac MRI should be considered 
Chest/abdomen/pelvis CT* To assess for splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, asymptomatic pulmonary involvement, and occult neoplasms 
Biopsy of affected tissues (if possible)* Cardiac tissue involvement can be patchy, limiting the utility of cardiac biopsy 
Selected patients with HE/HES 
Pulmonary function tests* Any patient with suspected pulmonary involvement or abnormal findings on chest CT 
Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy* All patients with AEC >5.0 × 109/L and/or features suggestive of LHES or MHES; patients with clear diagnoses, such as EGPA or parasitic infection, may not need bone marrow testing despite AEC >5.0 × 109/L 
Testing for BCR::ABL1, FIP1L1::PDGFRA, and translocations/mutations involving PDGFRB, JAK2, FGFR1, and KIT Testing should be guided by results of initial testing and bone marrow examination; all patients with elevated serum tryptase and/or B12 levels should be tested for FIP1L1::PDGFRA 
NGS myeloid panel; targeted or whole-exome sequencing; other genetic testing Depending on initial evaluation 
PET scan,* EBV viral load Particularly in patients with suspected LHES 
Other testing for secondary causes As indicated by clinical history and physical examination 
*

Can be dramatically affected by corticosteroid therapy.

Not all patients with LHES will have clonal or aberrant T-cell populations detectable by routine testing.

CT, computed tomography; EBV, Epstein-Barr virus; EGPA, eosinophilic granulomatosis and polyangiitis; MHES, myeloid variant hypereosinophilic syndrome; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; NGS, next-generation sequencing; PET, positron emission tomography.

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