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Start free with EleplanHemophagocytic syndrome
ORPHA:158032Category
Also called HLH · Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
What it is
Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is a rare immune disease and a potentially life-threatening disorder characterized by cytokine storm and overwhelming inflammation causing fever, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperferritinemia, and hemophagocytosis in bone marrow, liver, spleen or lymph nodes. It can be either primary due to a genetic defect (primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis ), or secondary to malignancies, to infections, most commonly with viruses such as Epstein-Barr virus or cytomegalovirus, human immunodeficiency virus, or to autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus or adult-onset Still disease (secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis).
Key facts
- Prevalence
- 1-9 / 100 000 (annual incidence, United Kingdom)
- Age of onset
- Adolescent, Childhood, Infancy
- Classified as
- Category
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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