Open AccessEpstein-Barr Virus Versus Novel Coronavirus-Induced Hemophagocytic Lymphohistocytosis: The Uncharted Waters
Author(s) -
Rawan Amir,
Asim Kichloo,
Jagmeet P. Singh,
Ravinder Bhanot,
Michael Aljadah,
Akshay Kumar,
Michael Albosta,
Shantanu Solanki
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of investigative medicine high impact case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.247
H-Index - 10
ISSN - 2324-7096
DOI - 10.1177/2324709620950107
Subject(s) - cytokine storm , pancytopenia , medicine , coronavirus , hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis , virus , hepatosplenomegaly , epstein–barr virus , virology , cytomegalovirus , immunology , disease , covid-19 , herpesviridae , infectious disease (medical specialty) , viral disease , pathology , bone marrow
Hemophagocytic lymphohistocytosis (HLH) is a hyperinflammatory syndrome characterized by fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia. It may be associated with genetic mutations or viral/bacterial infections, most commonly Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus. As for the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known as COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-2019), the cytokine storm it triggers can theoretically lead to syndromes similar to HLH. In this article, we report a case of a 28-year-old female who presented with high-grade fevers, found to have both SARS-CoV-2 and EBV infections, and eventually began to show signs of early HLH. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in literature that raises the possibility of SARS-CoV-2–related HLH development.