ABSTRACT
Lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic syndrome is a life-threatening disease with poor prognosis and may present as ischemic stroke. We report a case of a 56-year-old female with recurrent multi-territory infarcts caused by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. She had been diagnosed with ischemic stroke and hemophagocytic syndrome probably secondary to Epstein-Barr virus infection 3 months previously and treated with Dexamethasone and Aspirin. High resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging showed vessel wall thickening at some intracranial vessels suggesting vasculitis. Abdominal computed tomography scan revealed splenomegaly, multiple bilateral small nodules of the lung, multiple liver lesions, multiple bilateral renal masses, gastric wall thickening and multiple nodules in the omentum. Cerebrospinal fluid cytology showed increased cerebrospinal-fluid protein level. Hemophagocytosis was showed on bone marrow aspirate cytology. Gastric tissue biopsy revealed large B cell lymphoma. Chemotherapy was not given because the patient had severe pneumonia and sepsis. The patient died 28 days after the definitive diagnosis was confirmed. Ischemic stroke in our patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma may be due to vasculitis or intravascular large B-cell lymphoma.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic infection caused by the encapsulated yeast Cryptococcus neoformans and most remarkably manifests in HIV-infected individuals, especially in the settings of very low CD4 count. Development of cryptococcosis in HIV-uninfected individuals is exceedingly rare and usually signifies a marked immunodeficiency. Cryptococcosis in association with myasthenia gravis or thymoma has been previously documented in only very few cases in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We reported a complicated case of severe cutaneous cryptococcosis in a 39-year-old Vietnamese male patient with myasthenia gravis on long-term immunosuppressive therapy. The patient presented with a five month history of recurrent and progressive skin lesions that later on progressed into cryptococcal meningitis. CONCLUSION: Through this case, we aimed to emphasize the importance of including cutaneous cryptococcosis in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous lesions in patients on chronic immunosuppressive therapy. The cutaneous manifestations of cryptococcosis can be the first clue for a disseminated disease, which makes early recognition crucial and life-saving.
