Fattizzo B, Ferraresi M, Giannotta JA, Barcellini W. Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and Autoimmune Cytopenias: Case Description and Review of the Literature.
J Clin Med 2021;
10:870. [PMID:
33672504 PMCID:
PMC7923749 DOI:
10.3390/jcm10040870]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemophagocytic lymphohistocytosis (HLH) is a rare hyperinflammatory condition which may be primary or secondary to many diseases, including hematologic malignancies. Due to its life-threatening evolution, a timely diagnosis is paramount but challenging, since it relies on non-specific clinical and laboratory criteria. The latter are often altered in other diseases, including autoimmune cytopenias (AIC), which in turn can be secondary to infections, systemic autoimmune or lymphoproliferative disorders. In the present article, we describe two patients presenting at the emergency department with acute AICs subsequently diagnosed as HLH with underlying diffuse large B cell lymphoma. We discuss the diagnostic challenges in the differential diagnosis of acute cytopenias in the internal medicine setting, providing a literature review of secondary HLH and AIC.
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