Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have discovered that an especially aggressive and deadly form of a rare disorder known as hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) can be detected with a simple blood test, rather than an expensive and time-consuming genetic test. This finding should allow doctors to diagnose the most severe form of HES early and give people with the illness the appropriate, lifesaving treatment.
To achieve this insight, the NIAID researchers put together many clues about HES, providing a better overall understanding of disease. They found that patients with HES can be separated into at least two major subgroups based on the severity and characteristics of their illness. Details of this work, hailed as a “landmark study” by an accompanying commentary, appear in the June 15 issue of Blood.
Message posted by: Rashmi Nemade
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