Lactic acidosis in hemophagocytic syndrome: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in the intensive care unit—a case series

Extreme lactic acidosis in intensive care unit patients should prompt urgent hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis evaluation, particularly in Chinese populations. Etoposide is effective for malignancy-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, while reactive hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis may require tailored immunosuppression with strict infection prophylaxis. Routine reporting of patient ethnicity aids epidemiological understanding of rare diseases such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.