Chronic idiopathic eosinopenia and long-term cardiovascular outcomes: A population-based cohort study

Eosinophils are involved in inflammatory and thrombotic processes relevant to cardiovascular disease, but long-term implications of persistent eosinophil deficiency remain unclear.

We conducted a retrospective matched cohort study using a nationwide electronic health record database. Adults with chronic idiopathic eosinopenia (≥3 consecutive eosinophil counts ≤ 0.05 × 10⁹/L within 2 years) were matched 1:2 to individuals with persistently normal eosinophil counts. Cox models evaluated incident cardiovascular outcomes.

The cohort included 11,754 individuals with chronic eosinopenia and 23,508 matched controls (mean age 41.0 ± 16.2 years; 77.7% female). Over a mean follow-up of 14.8 ± 3.8 years, eosinopenia was associated with lower incidence of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, cerebrovascular events, and peripheral vascular disease, but a higher incidence of pericarditis.

Chronic idiopathic eosinopenia was associated with a lower long-term risk of several atherosclerotic cardiovascular outcomes. Although causality cannot be inferred, findings suggest a role for eosinophil-related pathways in cardiovascular disease and provide reassurance regarding the cardiovascular safety of therapies that reduce eosinophil levels.