Evaluation of Eosinophil Indices in Pediatric Patients with Cow’s Milk Allergy

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate eosinophil indices and other inflammatory parameters in pediatric patients with cow's milk allergy (CMA), which are easily accessible and may be useful in predicting CMA.Method: This retrospective study included 39 people in the patient group and 123 people in the control group.The records of the patients diagnosed with CMA by specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) tests were compared with patients without CMA.The study examined demographic data of the patients, including age at presentation and gender, as well as laboratory findings.The study included children under 24 months of age who underwent a specific IgE test for CMA and had simultaneous hemogram results.Results: Neutrophil-to-eosinophil ratio (NER), derived neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio (dNLR), and leukocyte-to-eosinophil ratio (LER) were significantly lower in the CMA than control groups.On the other hand, eosinophil, eosinophil-to-monocyte ratio (EMR), and eosinophil-tolymphocyte ratio (ELR) were significantly higher than control groups.Specific IgE levels were observed to have a negative correlation with LER, NER, and dNLR, and a positive correlation with eosinophil, EMR, and ELR.For a LER 22.2 cut-off value, sensitivity was 64.1%, and specificity was 73.2%. Conclusion:In our study, LER and EMR seem to be useful parameters to predict CMA in children.This study's findings may indicate that leukocytes and eosinophils, could be crucial in the pathogenesis of CMA cases.Eosinophil counts and eosinophil indices, readily obtainable through a complete blood count, can serve as parameters for distinguishing CMA.