Sepsis and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis-similarities and differences / 中国小儿急救医学

ABSTRACT

Sepsis is dysregulated host response caused by infection leading to systemic inflammation and organ dysfunction.Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis（HLH）could be caused by multiple factors，leading to abnormal immune regulation and resulting in inflammatory storm and organ dysfunction.Their pathogenesis is similar that dysregulated strong inflammatory response developing in the body，but different in activation profiles of immunologic cells and cytokines.Sepsis is caused by infection，while the etiology of HLH includes various conditions such as genetic defects，infection，rheumatic disease，malignancies，etc.There are differences in the degree of inflammation between the two diseases，with sepsis being systemic inflammation and HLH being extremely strong hyperinflammation.Anti-infection is the key to the treatment of sepsis，while immunosupressive measures are essential for HLH except for etiological treatment.Besides shock，central nervous system involvement is significant cause of death，and neuromonitoring should be applied aggressively.