Leishmaniasis with secondary hemophagocytic syndrome: a case report

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is an infection caused by Leishmania. Different species of Leishmania cause different clinical syndromes. Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is an immune related systemic inflammatory response syndrome mediated by many factors. This paper reported that one male patient with “fever of unknown origin, connective tissue disease” who was not effectively treated and was admitted to the Wuxi District Hospital in Jiangsu Province. After the analysis of clinical manifestations and the inquiry of the working history in the western mountain area, the patient was finally diagnosed as HPS secondary to Leishmaniasis by etiological and genetic examination. The patient was treated with antimony sodium gluconate for Leishmaniasis, according to the 1994 scheme of hemophagocytic syndrome treatment (HLH-94), and was discharged after his condition improved. When HPS secondary to Leishmaniasis, the disease develops rapidly. It is not common, and is easy to miss diagnosis. This paper reports a case of a patient in the eastern plain area, which the doctors should pay more attention to in clinic.

Keywords

• |leishmaniasis|hemophagocytic syndrome|fever