Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026
Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Models to Investigate the Epithelial Barrier in Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Published on: May 10, 2024
Prognostic usefulness of eosinopenia in the pediatric intensive care unit
Yoon Hee Kim1, Hyun Bin Park, Min Jung Kim
1Department of Pediatrics and Institute of Allergy, Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
Eosinopenia, a low eosinophil count, predicts mortality in pediatric intensive care units (PICU). It is a useful mortality biomarker but not for identifying infection in critically ill children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Hematology
- Biomarker research
Background:
- Eosinopenia is a recognized infection biomarker in adults.
- Recent studies indicate eosinopenia predicts mortality in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate eosinopenia as a mortality and infection biomarker in the pediatric ICU (PICU).
- To compare eosinophil levels between survivors and non-survivors, and between infected and non-infected pediatric ICU patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 150 pediatric ICU patients.
- Comparison of eosinophil counts and percentages at ICU admission.
- Statistical analysis including hazard ratios for mortality predictors.
Main Results:
- Lower initial eosinophil counts and percentages were observed in non-survivors compared to survivors (P < 0.001).
- No significant difference in eosinophil levels was found between infected and non-infected patients.
- Eosinopenia (count < 15 cells/µL or percentage < 0.25%) was an independent predictor of mortality (HR: 2.96; P = 0.008), alongside the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (PIM 2).
Conclusions:
- Eosinopenia at ICU admission is a valuable biomarker for predicting mortality in pediatric patients.
- Eosinopenia is not a reliable biomarker for diagnosing infection in the pediatric ICU setting.
Abstract:
Eosinopenia, a biomarker for infection, has recently been shown to be a predictor of adult mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). Our study assessed the usefulness of eosinopenia as a mortality and an infection biomarker in the pediatric ICU (PICU). We compared the PICU mortality scores, eosinophil count and percentage at ICU admission between children who survived and those who did not survive and between children with infection and those without infection. A total of 150 patients were evaluated. The initial eosinophil count and percentage were significantly lower in the group that did not survive when compared to those that did survive (P < 0.001; P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the eosinophil count and percentage seen in patients with and without infection. Eosinopenia, defined as an eosinophil count < 15 cells/µL and an eosinophil percentage < 0.25%, (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.96; P = 0.008) along with a Pediatric Index of Mortality (PIM) 2 (HR: 1.03; P = 0.004) were both determined to be independent predictors of mortality in the PICU. The presence of eosinopenia at the ICU admission can be a useful biomarker for mortality in children, but is not useful as a biomarker for infection.
