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Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders Treatment (PDQ®)
Patient VersionHealth Professional VersionEn españolLast Modified: 08/01/2008



General Information About Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders






Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia






Polycythemia Vera






Chronic Idiopathic Myelofibrosis






Essential Thrombocythemia






Chronic Neutrophilic Leukemia







Chronic Eosinophilic Leukemia






Stages of Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders






Treatment Option Overview






Treatment Options for Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders






To Learn More About Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders






Get More Information From NCI






Changes to This Summary (08/01/2008)






About PDQ



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Chronic Eosinophilic Leukemia

Key Points for This Section


Chronic eosinophilic leukemia is a disease in which too many white blood cells (eosinophils) are made in the bone marrow.

Eosinophils are white blood cells that react to allergens (substances that cause an allergic response) and help fight infections caused by certain parasites. In chronic eosinophilic leukemia, there are too many eosinophils in the blood, bone marrow, and other tissues. Chronic eosinophilic leukemia may stay the same for many years or it may progress quickly to acute leukemia.

Possible signs of chronic eosinophilic leukemia include fever and feeling very tired.

Chronic eosinophilic leukemia may not cause early symptoms. It is sometimes found during a routine blood test. The following symptoms may be caused by chronic eosinophilic leukemia or by other conditions. A doctor should be consulted if any of these problems occur:

  • Fever.
  • Feeling very tired.
  • Cough.
  • Swelling under the skin around the eyes and lips, in the throat, or on the hands and feet.
  • Muscle pain.
  • Itching.
  • Diarrhea.

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