Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis during pregnancy: a review of the literature in epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Liu L
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8215746 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Background:Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare disease that can be fatal in pregnancy. We report two cases of severe HLH that highlight etoposide use in pregnancy. Case 1:28-year-old G2P1 with lupus presented at 18 weeks with acute hypoxic respiratory failure, hepatic dysfunction, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated ferritin. Bone marrow biopsy confirmed HLH. Etoposide and corticosteroid treatment was initiated per HLH protocol; however clinical status declined rapidly. Fetal demise occurred at 21 weeks and she subsequently suffered a massive cerebral vascular accident. She was transitioned to comfort measures and the patient deceased. Case 2:37-year-old G4P3 presented at 25 weeks with fever, acute liver failure, thrombocytopenia, and elevated ferritin. HLH treatment was initiated, including etoposide, and diagnosis confirmed with liver biopsy. Fetal growth restriction was diagnosed at 27 weeks. Delivery occurred at 37 weeks. The neonate was found to be CMV positive despite negative maternal serology. Conclusion:The addition of etoposide to corticosteroid use is a key component in HLH treatment of nonpregnant individuals. While this is usually avoided in pregnancy, the benefit to the mother may outweigh the potential harm to the fetus in severe cases and it should be strongly considered.
| S-EPMC6390238 | biostudies-literature
Project description:HLH is a catastrophic and likely underdiagnosed pathology with multiple triggers including infection. PVB19 can cause persistent marrow infection leading to HLH despite negative acute serologic markers making timely diagnosis difficult. Increased awareness of PVB19-HLH is warranted given its potentially lethal nature and the careful interpretation required with serologic markers.
| S-EPMC6878072 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but life-threatening condition characterized by uncontrolled inflammation. The management of HLH is challenging, in part, due to the multiple etiologies of the disease, the variations in presentations, and the rapidity of the progression of the disease. Due to the severity of their disease, these patients often require significant critical care support. HLH can be due to familial (genetic) causes or can be secondary to triggers such as infections, autoimmune disorders, and malignancy. Underlying conditions such as sepsis or malignancy could pose as major confounders while applying universal diagnostic criteria and therefore could lead to delay in diagnosis. This chapter focuses on the characteristics of the disease, pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and intensive care management of pediatric patients with HLH.
| S-EPMC7123852 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is rare and life threatening syndrome. There are only a few reported cases of HLH with GI symptoms. We describe the case of an 18 months old boy who presented with a history of fever for 40 days, abdominal distention and hepatosplenomegaly. Abdominal x-ray showed a pneumoperitoneum. Urgent laparotomy was done which revealed an isolated cecal perforation. The histopathological findings in the subsequent resected bowel was HLH with evidence of positive EBV Barr infection.
| S-EPMC6598294 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Endometriosis is a "mysterious" disease and its exact cause has not yet been established. Among the etiological factors, congenital, environmental, epigenetic, autoimmune and allergic factors are listed. It is believed that the primary mechanism of the formation of endometriosis foci is retrograde menstruation, i.e., the passage of menstrual blood through the fallopian tubes into the peritoneal cavity and implantation of exfoliated endometrial cells. However, since this mechanism is also observed in healthy women, other factors must also be involved in the formation of endometriosis foci. Endometriosis is in many women the cause of infertility, chronic pain and the deterioration of the quality of life. It also represents a significant financial burden on health systems. The article presents a review of the literature on endometriosis-a disease affecting women throughout the world.
| S-EPMC8508982 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a syndrome describing patients with severe systemic hyperinflammation. Characteristic features include unremitting fever, cytopenias, hepatosplenomegaly, and elevation of typical HLH biomarkers. Patients can develop hepatitis, coagulopathy, liver failure, central nervous system involvement, multiorgan failure, and other manifestations. The syndrome has a high mortality rate. More and more, it is recognized that while HLH can be appropriately used as a broad summary diagnosis, many pediatric patients actually suffer from an expanding spectrum of genetic diseases that can be complicated by the syndrome of HLH. Classic genetic diseases in which HLH is a typical and common manifestation include pathogenic changes in familial HLH genes (PRF1, UNC13D, STXBP2, and STX11), several granule/pigment abnormality genes (RAB27A, LYST, and AP3B1), X-linked lymphoproliferative disease genes (SH2D1A and XIAP), and others such as NLRC4, CDC42, and the Epstein-Barr virus susceptibility diseases. There are many other genetic diseases in which HLH is an infrequent complication of the disorder as opposed to a prominent manifestation of the disease caused directly by the genetic defect, including other primary immune deficiencies and inborn errors of metabolism. HLH can also occur in patients with underlying rheumatologic or autoinflammatory disorders and is usually designated macrophage activation syndrome in those settings. Additionally, HLH can develop in patients during infections or malignancies without a known (or as-yet-identified) genetic predisposition. This article will attempt to summarize current concepts in the pediatric HLH field as well as offer a practical diagnostic and treatment overview.
| S-EPMC8212354 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and potentially fatal disease primarily of children, characterized by a severe hyperinflammatory state. We describe a case of adult onset familial HLH with a novel exon 19, c.1607G>T (p.Arg536Leu) heterozygous mutation of the UNC13D gene in a 40-year-old woman who developed HLH during her first and second pregnancies, both episodes occurring during the first trimester. Our patient was treated successfully both times with HLH-94 protocol following spontaneous abortions and is currently in the process of getting a bone marrow transplant. We also discuss pregnancy as a potential trigger for late onset familial HLH.
| S-EPMC6134992 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Adult hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a secondary immunopathologic phenomenon, mainly secondary to malignancy, infection, or autoimmune disorders. The performance of diagnostic criteria, studied in the pediatric population, is yet to be validated in the adult population. Some of the criteria include cytopenias and organomegaly that are inherent features to malignant processes, thus making the diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis a challenge in patients with cancer.We describe the case of a 54-year-old white man with history of metastatic maxillary sinus adenoid cystic carcinoma who had severe liver injury and cytopenias with progressive clinical deterioration. We performed an evaluation, by flow cytometry, of the expression of surface markers in his natural killer cells that revealed remarkable abnormalities. His syndrome eventually fulfilled criteria for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and he received therapy with steroids with interval clinical improvement. Unfortunately, he refused further cytotoxic treatment and died 2 weeks later.The conventional criteria for the diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis are suboptimal for adult patients with cancer resulting in delays in diagnosis and timely initiation of treatment. The diagnostic criteria have to be re-evaluated in patients with cancer; novel, easily available, and accurate diagnostic methods are needed.
| S-EPMC5485603 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in underdeveloped and developing countries. Disseminated TB may induce uncommon and potentially fatal secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Timely treatment with anti-tuberculosis therapy (ATT) and downmodulation of the immune response is critical. However, corticosteroid treatment for TB-associated HLH remains controversial. Herein, we report a successful case of disseminated TB-associated HLH in a pregnant woman with Evans syndrome accompanied by a literature review.Case presentationA 26-year-old pregnant woman with Evans syndrome was transferred to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University because of severe pneumonia. She presented with cough, fever, and aggravated dyspnea. Nested polymerase chain reaction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) complex in sputum was positive. Sputum smear sample for acid-fast bacilli was also positive. Metagenome next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid identified 926 DNA sequence reads and 195 RNA sequence reads corresponding to M. tuberculosis complex, respectively. mNGS of blood identified 48 DNA sequence reads corresponding to M. tuberculosis. There was no sequence read corresponding to other potential pathogens. She was initially administered standard ATT together with a low dose of methylprednisolone (40 mg/day). However, her condition deteriorated rapidly with high fever, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pancytopenia, and hyperferritinemia. Bone marrow smears showed hemophagocytosis. And caseating tuberculous granulomas were found in the placenta. A diagnosis of disseminated TB-associated HLH was made. Along with the continuation of four drug ATT regimen, therapy with a higher dose of methylprednisolone (160 mg/day) combined with immunoglobulin and plasma exchange was managed. The patient's condition improved, and she was discharged on day 19. Her condition was good at follow-up with the continuation of the ATT.ConclusionsClinicians encountering patients with suspected TB accompanied by unexplainable inflammation not responding to ATT should consider complications with HLH. Timely administration of ATT combined with corticosteroids may result in a favorable outcome.
| S-EPMC8222916 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) secondary to Histoplasma capsulatum infection is a rare disorder with poor outcome. Although cases of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been well documented, little study has reported in the setting of HIV seronegative. In this study, we report a case of HLH secondary to histoplasmosis in an immunocompetent patient in China and review all cases on this situation. The objective was to summary their epidemiology, clinical characteristics, diagnostic approaches, and therapeutic response. A 46-year-old male cooker presented fever, fatigue, anorexia, and weight loss. Bone marrow examination suggest fungus organism and hemophagocytosis, and further, bone marrow culture confirmed Histoplasma capsulatum, as the etiology of HLH. The patient was successfully treated. We reviewed a total of the 13 cases (including our patient) of HLH with histoplasmosis in intact immunology patients. Twelve of the 13 patients are from endemic areas, and nine of the 12 cases are from emerging endemic areas, India and China. Three patients had sojourn history may related to the disease onset. Twelve of the 13 cases fulfilled HLH-2004 criteria. The diagnosis of Histoplasma capsulatum infection was established by histological examination (13 of 13), culture (4 of 13), molecular method (2 of 13), and antigen or serological assays (2 of 13). Amphotericin B, posaconazole, and itraconazole show favorable activity against the fungus, seven patients used specific treatment for HLH. For analysis of outcomes, two of the 13 patients died. Our present case report and literature review show that disseminated Histoplasma capsulatum infection with HLH in the immunocompetent population becomes increasingly common in emerging endemic areas and have high mortality. It is necessary for clinicians to improve the awareness of disease diagnosis due to the atypical population and disease presentation. Timely diagnosis and early use of antifungal agents will lead to favorable prognosis.
| S-EPMC9245433 | biostudies-literature