Open AccessPancytopenia resulting from hemophagocytosis in malaria
Author(s) -
Alex Zvulunov,
Hannah Tamary,
Nathan Gal
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
the pediatric infectious disease journal/the pediatric infectious disease journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1532-0987
pISSN - 0891-3668
DOI - 10.1097/00006454-200211000-00028
Subject(s) - hemophagocytosis , pancytopenia , malaria , medicine , immunology , bone marrow
Pancytopenia in an acutely ill child is commonly a result of bone marrow suppression. Rarely pancytopenia is a manifestation of inappropriate macrophage activation associated with hemophagocytosis. Viral infections account for most cases of secondary hemophagocytosis. We report a case of malaria-associated hemophagocytosis in a child from an endemic area. Systemic parasitic infections should be included in the differential diagnosis of pancytopenia and infection-associated hemophagocytosis. In this rare subgroup of hemophagocytosis, malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is the most common parasitic infection