[A method for diagnosing allergy by studying eosinophil morphology]

A total of 107 children with various clinical manifestations of food allergy were examined to investigate the morphological changes of eosinophils under the effect of food allergens. Eosinophil "injury" caused by cow milk allergen was detected in 71.4%, that caused by hen egg white in 82.4%, and that under the effect of fish in 77.8% of the examinees, these data being useful as a laboratory test for the diagnosis of food sensitization. Correlation between the index of eosinophil injury and late reactions to cow milk, as well as increased reactivity to nonspecific stimuli were traced.