Erschienen in:
30.12.2015 | Case Report
Rare cause of natural death in forensic setting: hemophagocytic syndrome
verfasst von:
B. Ondruschka, J.-O. Habeck, C. Hädrich, J. Dreßler, R. Bayer
Erschienen in:
International Journal of Legal Medicine
|
Ausgabe 3/2016
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Abstract
We report about the case of a sudden unexpected death of a 25-year-old male suffering from infectious disease. An autopsy was ordered with no final premortem diagnosis. Microscopic and microbiological examination revealed a pneumococcal bronchopneumonia and hemophagocytic lesions in the bone marrow. After integrating clinical and autopsy reports as well as additional postmortem investigations, the cause of death was found to be infectious-triggered hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) with a final cytokine storm. This seems to be the first reported fatal case of a reactive form of HPS associated to Streptococcus pneumoniae to the best of our knowledge. HPS is a dangerous hyperinflammation with highly characteristic, but nonspecific, laboratory findings and symptoms. Autopsies in such cases must be carefully performed and include systematic tissue sampling done by an experienced pathologist.