[A case of dengue fever with viral-associated hemophagocytic syndrome]

A 32-year-old Japanese woman admitted November 1 for a 4-day fever and who had traveled in India October 14-22 was found to have no abnormal findings except for fever and luekocytopenia and thrombocytopenia. Negative rapid-test anti-dengue virus IgM antibody findings, however, became positive on hospital 2, with hemophagocytic cells found in the bone marrow, yielding a definitive diagnosis of dengue fever with viral-associated hemophagocytic syndrome. Some such cases with hemophagocytic syndrome have been reported in patients with sever dengue fever, but the rarity of the need for bone marrow examination means that it is unknown whether hemophagocytic syndrome occurs in mild dengue fever or whether our case was unusual.