Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a 19 year old critically Ill patient

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) describes a clinical syndrome of hyperinflammation resulting in an uncontrolled and ineffective immune response. It presents with a clinical picture of likely sepsis, i.e., fever, laboratory evidence of inflammatory response, coagulopathy and thrombocytopaenia should be appropriately investigated and managed for sepsis, but the possible diagnosis of HLH should be borne in mind. Awareness of the clinical symptoms and of diagnostic criteria for HLH is crucial to starting immunosuppressive/ immunomodulatory and cytotoxic drugs in time. We present a case of HLH in a 19 year old male who presented with fever, neurological symptoms, cytopaenias, laboratory markers of inflammation and bone marrow aspirate showed hemophagocytosis.