Case Report: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis masquerading as drug-induced liver injury: successful treatment with low-dose ruxolitinib and glucocorticoids
Yang Dai, Luocheng Zhang, Xushu Zhong, Ailin Zhao, Ting Niu · 2026
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Description
Yang Dai and colleagues describe three adults whose hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis first looked like drug-induced liver injury in a 2026 case series. This syndrome is a runaway immune reaction that floods the body with inflammatory signals and can kill quickly. When it presents as liver failure, diagnosis is often delayed, and severe liver dysfunction narrows treatment choices.
All three patients arrived with very high bilirubin and low blood counts that standard supportive care failed to move. Each received low-dose ruxolitinib, a drug that damps a key inflammatory signaling pathway, combined with corticosteroids. All three responded fast, with bilirubin and inflammatory markers steadily normalizing. Blood counts dipped briefly in some patients but recovered without extra treatment, and no serious drug side effects appeared. The authors urge clinicians to suspect this syndrome behind unexplained severe liver injury, since timely immune treatment can be lifesaving.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Yang Dai, Luocheng Zhang, Xushu Zhong, Ailin Zhao, Ting Niu |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 34 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |