Pancytopenia resulting from hemophagocytosis in malaria.
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
Zvulunov
Alex
A
Department of Pediatrics, Joseftal Hospital, Eilat, Israel.
Tamary
Hannah
H
Gal
Nathan
N
D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D015616:Histiocytosis, Non-Langerhans-Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology; D015767:Mefloquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010198:Pancytopenia / Q000150:complications*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011319:Primaquine / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000962:Antimalarials; D011319:Primaquine; D015767:Mefloquine