Treatment of HLH depends on the cause, your age when the disease starts, and how severe the disease is. The acquired form of HLH may clear up when your healthcare provider identifies the cause and treats the disease. Familial-type HLH is usually fatal if not treated. Treatment for familial or persistent acquired HLH may include:

Chemotherapy (cancer drugs)
Immunotherapy (drugs that affect your immune system)
Steroids (drugs that fight inflammation)
Antibiotic drugs
Antiviral drugs

If drug treatments do not work, your healthcare providers may do a stem cell transplant. In this procedure, healthy bone marrow cells from a donor replace your diseased bone marrow cells. Stem cell transplant can cure HLH in most cases.

There is no way to prevent HLH, but as healthcare providers continue to learn more about it, treatment improves. Most children who are successfully treated go on to live norm