Secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis induced by malaria infection in a child with Langerhans cell histiocytosis

Abstract

Since the first description of infection-associated hemophagocytosis (IAHS), the list of precipitating infectious agents causing hemophagocytic syndrome has grown. A lymphohistiocytic proliferation with hemophagocytosis may develop as a result of macrophage activation, viral or bacterial infection, parasitic infestations, or malignancy. The authors report on a 3-year-old boy with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), who developed IAHS during malaria infection. Hemophagocytic syndromes may complicate the course of LCH and cause diagnostic problems. Malaria is one of many infections that can precipitate secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.