Infectious Mononucleosis Causing Acute Liver Failure and Hemolytic Anemia in a Patient with Underlying Hereditary

Mark Forsberg1, Mark Galan2, Joshua Kra3

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Rutgers University/New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA.

Case Reports in Oncology
|November 11, 2020
PubMed

Infectious mononucleosis is a largely benign disease process that occurs secondary to infection with the Epstein-Barr virus. However, it can also present with more serious complications, including auto-immune hemolytic anemia and acute liver failure. Hereditary hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder that leads to organ damage via increased iron uptake and deposition. This case report describes a 25-year-old man who presented with acute liver failure and severe hemolytic anemia. Workup revealed that not only did he have a rare presentation of Epstein-Barr virus-induced acute liver failure and C3-positive IgG-negative hemolytic anemia, he also had previously undiagnosed hereditary hemochromatosis. This combined presentation of these pathologies presents a unique opportunity to study their interaction and possible synergistic pathophysiology. Furthermore, the evolving understanding of the disease mechanisms behind these disease processes is described.

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