Secondary Hemophagocytic Syndrome: The Importance of Clinical Suspicion

Hemophagocytic syndrome is a rare and potentially fatal disorder characterized by pathological immune activation associated with a primary familial disorder, genetic mutations, or occurring as a sporadic condition. The latter can be secondary to infections, malignancies, or autoimmune diseases. Clin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cristina Oliveira, Sérgio Chacim, Isabel Ferreira, Nelson Domingues, José Mário Mariz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Hematology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/958425
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Summary:Hemophagocytic syndrome is a rare and potentially fatal disorder characterized by pathological immune activation associated with a primary familial disorder, genetic mutations, or occurring as a sporadic condition. The latter can be secondary to infections, malignancies, or autoimmune diseases. Clinically, patients present signs of severe inflammation, with unremitting fever, cytopenias, spleen enlargement, phagocytosis of bone marrow elements, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypofibrinogenemia. Increased suspicion is determinant to timely initiate treatment in an attempt to alter the natural history. The authors present three clinical cases of this syndrome, with a brief review of the diagnostic criteria and treatment.
ISSN:2090-6560
2090-6579