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(CNN) - When ESPN journalist Edward Aschoff died, he had been diagnosed with multifocal pneumonia and a rare disease known as HLH, his fiancee tweeted.
Aschoff was admitted to the hospital for the first time and was diagnosed with pneumonia in many parts of his lungs, but was taken back to the emergency room when antibiotic treatment failed and worsened, Katy Berteau said.
"After many tests, bone marrow and lung biopsies, treatment was started for an alleged diagnosis of HLH," the bride tweeted. "After 3 days of being transferred to the ICU, he died."
HLH, the acronym for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, is a rare disease that affects the immune system.
The journalist's fiancee did not provide further details on the form of Aschoff's death, which occurred on her 34th birthday.
Other people, including Aschoff himself, expressed surprise at the seriousness of the disease in a young man apparently in good health.
“Has anyone ever had multifocal (bilateral) pneumonia in their 30s being someone who never gets sick and has a very good immune system? I ask for two friends ... my lungs, ”he tweeted on December 5.
More questions have arisen about his second diagnosis, HLH. It is not clear if Aschoff had HLH or pneumonia first, if one occurred as a result of the other, and exactly how he died so quickly.
This is what we know about the diseases that Aschoff had:
Is pneumonia dangerous?
Pneumonia is when the alveoli in the lungs fill with fluid or pus. It can be caused by a virus, bacteria or fungus, causing fever and respiratory problems.
- READ: 8 facts you should know about pneumonia
It can occur in one or both lungs, and multifocal means that pneumonia occurs in multiple places.
Thousands of people die each year worldwide from pneumonia, but most healthy people can fight it, especially with antibiotics and antiviral medications. The people at greatest risk are the young, elderly, fragile or immunocompromised.
What is the HLH?
HLH is a rare disease that affects the immune system, which causes certain white blood cells to attack other blood cells and enlarge the spleen and liver, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine medical center.
It can be inherited or acquired, says Johns Hopkins. About a quarter of cases are transmitted through families, and the rest comes from infections, a weakened immune system and cancer.
Symptoms may include cough, shortness of breath, fever, headaches, rashes, swollen lymph nodes, jaundice and digestive problems, according to Johns Hopkins.
It is dangerous?
There is treatment for HLH, and acquired forms may disappear when treated properly, Johns Hopkins said. If family HLH is not treated, it is usually fatal.
Treatments include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, steroids, antibiotics and antivirals. Stem cell transplants can cure HLH in most cases if drug treatments don't work, Johns Hopkins said.
There is no way to prevent HLH, the medical center said.
ESPN Pneumonia