A Case of Recurrent Cervical Lymphadenopathy Due to Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease
Unusual clinical course
Aliaa Alsolami, Rayan Altirkistani, Sarah Tayeb, Tariq Albeshri, Osama Estaitieh, Nada Rabie, Rehab Fadag, Mohammed Samannodi
Department of Medicine, King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Am J Case Rep 2021; 22:e928760
DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.928760
Available online: 2020-12-30
Published: 2021-02-15

BACKGROUND:
Kikuchi-Fujimoto (KFD) disease is a rare benign syndrome of necrotizing lymphadenopathy with distinctive histologic characteristics and was first reported in 1972. It is usually manifested by painful cervical lymphadenopathy and fever in young people, predominantly in females. KFD is a self-limiting disease and recurrence is rare.
CASE REPORT:
We present the case of a middle-aged woman who presented with recurrent cervical lymphadenopathy 3 times in 13 years. Diagnosis of KFD was made by excisional lymph node biopsy, showing typical histopathologic features. She was treated with oral prednisone, with a favorable response.
CONCLUSIONS:
In patients with recurrent lymphadenopathy, excisional biopsy can lead to definitive diagnosis and directed treatment. KFD is an uncommon and potential cause for recurrent lymphadenopathy.
Keywords: Histiocytic Necrotizing Lymphadenitis, Histiocytosis, Sinus, Image-Guided Biopsy