Hemophagocytic syndrome following an Epstein-Barr virus infection: a case report and literature review.

Hemophagocytosis is an uncommon disorder characterized by proliferation of histiocytes that actively engulf other hematopoietic cells causing cytopenia. Reactive or secondary hemophagocytosis is very rare in healthy adults in the US. Various infectious, as well as neoplastic and immunologic etiologies of reactive hemophagocytosis have been reported. It is a non-malignant, reactive disorder characterized by hemophagocytosis in the bone marrow and reticuloendothelial system (RES) resulting in pancytopenia, fever, hepatic dysfunction, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). No consensus exists in the literature regarding optimal treatment of virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (VAHS). We report a case of VAHS in a previously healthy immunocompetent male and review the diagnosis and management of this rare disorder.