title: Hodgkin's lymphoma, Epstein-Barr virus reactivation and fatal haemophagocytic syndrome.
abstract: Haemophagocytic syndrome is a serious disorder, often related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or other infectious agents. Frequently an underlying immune abnormality or a T-cell lymphoma is present. The combination of haemophagocytosis and Hodgkin's lymphoma seems to be rare. A 70-year-old female with rheumatoid arthritis was admitted with constitutional symptoms, persistent fever, pancytopenia, deranged liver enzymes, lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. A fatal coagulopathy supervened. The clinical picture and the bone marrow findings indicated a haemophagocytic syndrome and a lymph node biopsy disclosed an EBV-positive Hodgkin's lymphoma. EBV serology pointed at viral reactivation and a high EBV DNA content was detected in serum by real-time quantitative PCR analysis (5.5 x 10(6) copies per mL). The case history is presented and the literature is reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Varberg Hospital, Varberg, Sweden. sverker.haselblom@medic.gu.se
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasselblom
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Linde
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ridell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000502:physiology; D015616:Histiocytosis, Non-Langerhans-Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D014775:Virus Activation