Virus-associated haemophagocytic syndrome in previously healthy adults.

The clinical characteristics of 15 adult patients with virus-associated haemophagocytic syndrome (VAHS) were studied. The patients were 3 males and 12 females with a mean age of 39.5 years (range 20 to 67 years). Seven patients (mean age 48.6 years) were immunosuppressed by drugs or as a result of having malignant or autoimmune disease. Eight patients (mean age 31.6 years) had no underlying diseases. The prognosis of the patients with immunosuppression was poor, as previously reported, and 3 of them died. In younger adult patients with this syndrome who had no underlying immunosuppressive diseases, the prognosis was good even without therapy. The sera from the patients in both groups contained extremely high levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and slightly elevated levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). These findings suggested that VAHS, can occur in presumably healthy adults and that VAHS can be a more benign condition than previously believed. M-CSF and TNF-alpha may play an important role in the development of the syndrome in both groups.