A Young Male With Anorexia, Abdominal Complaints and Marked Blood Eosinophilia

Peripheral blood eosinophilia represents a frequent finding in routine clinical practice when absolute eosinophil count is found to be greater than 0.5 x 109/L (500/µL). Common causes include parasitic infections, allergic reactions, and hyper-eosinophilic syndrome. Eosinophilia secondary to malignancy represents an uncommon presentation. Here we report an atypical case of a 47-year-old previously healthy male who presented to a primary care setting complaining of fatigue and anorexia for the last two weeks. The evaluation revealed leucocytosis and peripheral hypereosinophilia with an absolute eosinophil count of 14.13×109/L (37%). Following an extensive diagnostic work in a secondary care centre he was finally diagnosed with rectal carcinoma. This case highlights that solid malignancy should be considered in patients with marked peripheral eosinophilia.