Peritoneal eosinophils during intermittent peritoneal dialysis.

Peritoneal eosinophil counts were investigated in 61 intermittent dialysis patients over the course of 1 year. The peritoneal eosinophil percentage fell from 18 +/- 2% (mean +/- SEM) in the first 2 months of dialysis to 3 +/- 0.4% after 6 months of dialysis. Absolute eosinophils per cubic millimeter fell from 586 +/- 126 to 61 +/- 18 (p less than 0.01 for both percentage and absolute values). There was a wide range in the mean eosinophil percentages per patient in the first 6 months of dialysis (0-84%) that narrowed to 0-9% after 6 months. The majority of the high initial eosinophil counts resolved after 2 months. Peripheral eosinophilia was seen in 8 of the 10 patients with the highest mean peritoneal eosinophil percentages during the first 2 months of dialysis. Patients who developed peritonitis had a significantly lower percentage of eosinophils in the first 1.5 months of dialysis than patients who did not develop peritonitis. At the time of diagnosis of peritonitis, the peritoneal eosinophil count was near zero. 4 cases of peritoneal eosinophilia which developed after antibiotic therapy are described.