Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2017 Feb 27;10(1):110.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-017-2434-y.

Haemophagocytic syndrome in an adult suffering from pyrexia of unknown origin: an uncommon presentation of tuberculosis: a case report

Wasim Md Mohosin Ul Haque  1 , Md Erfanur Rahman Shuvo  2 , Muhammad Abdur Rahim  2 , Palash Mitra  2 , Tabassum Samad  2 , Jalaluddin Ashraful Haque  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Haemophagocytic syndrome in an adult suffering from pyrexia of unknown origin: an uncommon presentation of tuberculosis: a case report

Wasim Md Mohosin Ul Haque et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis is common, can involve various organs of the body and may have diverse presentations. Haemophagocytic syndrome is one of the rare presentations of tuberculosis carrying a very high mortality. Early detection and institution of anti-tuberculosis medications can be life-saving.

Case presentation: A 23-year-old Bengali man presented with prolonged fever, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia and altered liver function. He had high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, positive tuberculin test, granuloma in liver biopsy, and haemophagocytosis was evidenced by histopathological examination of bone marrow. He recovered with anti-tuberculosis therapy.

Conclusion: This case demonstrates that consideration of tuberculosis as an underlying cause of haemophagocytic syndrome could be rewarding and life-saving in this rapidly fatal condition.

Keywords: Case report; Haemophagocytic syndrome; Pyrexia of unknown origin; Tuberculosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Bone marrow showing large histiocytes containing multiple concave nuclei of engulfed myeloid series cells (white arrow) suggestive of haemophagocytic syndrome
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a, b Computed tomographic (CT) scan of abdomen showing hepatosplenomegaly with multiple isodense lesions in liver and spleen
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
a, b Liver biopsy showing non-caseating granuloma with Langhan’s giant cell (white arrow) consistent with tuberculosis
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Timeline
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Janka GE. Haemophagocytic syndromes. Blood Rev. 2007;21(5):245–253. doi: 10.1016/j.blre.2007.05.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Naha K, Dasari S, Vivek G, Prabhu M. Disseminated tuberculosis presenting with secondary haemophagocytic lymphangiohistiocytosis and Poncet’s disease in an immunocompetent individual. BMJ Case Rep. 2013 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cherif E, Feki NB, Hassine LB, Khalfallah N. Haemophagocytic syndrome with disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with tuberculosis. BMJ Case Rep. 2013 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Li J, Yu S, Wang M, Chen HB, Wang W. A case of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis syndrome caused by severe tuberculosis and literature review. Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi. 2012;35(10):766–769. - PubMed
    1. Aggarwal P, Kumar G, Dev N, Kumari P. Haemophagocyticlymphangiohistiocytosis: a cause of rare but fatal outcome in tuberculosis. BMJ Case Rep. 2012 - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances