Pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease

Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease in an Old Italian Woman: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a rare, benign, generally self-limiting disease that has higher prevalence in Asian people with a few cases reported in European countries. It generally affects young subjects under 40 years of age and is characterized by regional lymphadenopathy. Here, we present a case of a 66-year-old Italian woman who was extensively examined for right unilateral laterocervical lymph nodes associated with fever, night sweats, fatigue, and weight loss. She was diagnosed as having the KFD only after an excision biopsy of the largest laterocervical lymph node and was then managed symptomatically with NSAIDs. We also made a review of the literature for better awareness of the disease among physicians especially in those countries, like Italy, where the disease is not prevalent and may be frequently misdiagnosed. In fact, to our best knowledge, only seven Italian cases of KFD have been published in the last 15 years with patients being younger than 40 years. We finally highlight that it is noteworthy to consider KFD as differential diagnosis of lymphadenopathy even in old patients, and, since a misdiagnosis of lymphoma is actually feasible, an early biopsy has to be taken into account for confirming diagnosis and helping in the timely and appropriate management.

Pediatric Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease: A clinicopathologic study and the therapeutic effects of hydroxychloroquine

BACKGROUND

To investigate the clinical features of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) in children, and place an emphasis on the therapeutic effects of hydroxychloroquine as monotherapy.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all children diagnosed with KFD during the period January 1992 to September 2016 at a tertiary medical center in Taiwan.

RESULTS

40 patients were histopathologically confirmed as KFD, and the mean age of the patients was 13.9 ± 3.1 years. The male to female ratio was 1:1. The lymph node involvements were often cervical (95%) with features of unilateral predisposition (75%), polyadenopathy (84.4%) and tenderness (56.3%). Fever, cough, rhinorrhea, and tonsillitis were other common presentations. Laboratory findings included leukopenia (56.5%), monocytosis (63.6%), with positive results of EB-VCA IgG (88.9%), EB-VCA IgM (22.2%), EBEA IgG (22.2%) and EBNA IgG (88.9%). The univariate analyses of prolonged fever with lymphopenia, monocytosis, thrombocytopenia and necrotizing type in histopathology were disclosed as statistically significant (P < 0.05). Corticosteroids and hydroxychloroquine were administered in 15.6% of patients respectively, along with symptomatic treatments for the rest. Recurrence occurred in 13.0% of patients without corticosteroids or hydroxychloroquine treatment. There were neither recurrences nor relevant major adverse effects in all the five KFD cases treated with hydroxychloroquine.

CONCLUSION

KFD should be suspected in children with febrile cervical lymphadenopathy, especially when concomitant with leukopenia and monocytosis. Lymphopenia, monocytosis, thrombocytopenia and necrotizing type in histopathology are reliable predictors for prolonged fever. Hydroxychloroquine may be an alternative choice to corticosteroids for its favorable effects and safety.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease in the regional lymph nodes with node metastasis in a patient with tongue cancer: A case report and literature review

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD), also known as histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, is a rare self-limiting disorder typically affecting the cervical lymph nodes (LNs), which is often misdiagnosed as other LN-associated diseases. KFD frequently presents with necrotic lesions and recurrences, which are also features of metastatic LNs. Clinicians may thus suspect LN metastasis when they encounter ipsilateral cervical lymphadenopathy in a patient with head and neck cancer. The present study reports the case of a 48-year-old man with tongue cancer and KFD affecting the right edge of his tongue and ipsilateral cervical LNs. LN metastasis was initially suspected, but pathological examination of the dissected LNs revealed one necrotic metastatic lesion and two necrotic KFD lesions. Ipsilateral cervical lymphadenopathy recurred 6 years after the initial surgery, and it was not possible to differentiate clinically between a second primary tumor and recurrent KFD prior to treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of simultaneous tongue cancer, regional LN metastasis and KFD. This highlights the requirement to consider KFD in the event of LNs with necrotic lesions but no cancerous cells. A combination of clinical and pathological approaches may aid in the diagnosis of KFD, in addition to ruling out LN metastasis in initial and recurrent lymphadenopathies. The present study indicate that a diagnosis of KFD should be considered in patients with head and neck cancer that exhibit necrotic LNs lacking cancerous cells. This is important, as misdiagnosis of KFD as LN metastasis may lead to unnecessary adjuvant therapy.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease: a case report of a multi-drug resistant, grueling disease

Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis or Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is characterized by its rare occurrence. Mostly prevalent among Asian women, KFD manifests with lymphadenopathy-affecting mostly cervical and rarely generalized or retroperitoneal regions-in addition to fever. It is a self-limited disease that resolves within 1-4 months, responding remarkably to glucocorticosteroids or hydroxychloroquine. However, some rare cases prove to be unresponsive to the previously mentioned therapies. Here is a description of a case of KFD affecting a 67-year-old Syrian woman with a history of hypothyroidism due to iodine-deficiency. The patient's initial clinical picture was malaise, fever, pericarditis and generalized lymphadenopathy. As treatment, she was given glucocorticosteroids with no significant response, while hydroxychloroquine proved to be partially effective. Until the date of this report, she has been receiving hydroxychloroquine with only slight clinical improvement. This case is proving to be resistant unlike most KFD cases that generally respond very well to treatment.

[Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease mimicking malignant lymphoma in adolescents]

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease, also known as histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, is a rare cause of lymphadenopathy in children. This benign disease can mimic lymphoma and misleads doctors. It was first described in Asia, where it occurred especially in young women. Recent publications show that it can also affect teenagers and young adults in Caucasian populations. The pathophysiology remains unknown. Three hypotheses have been raised for this disease: the role of viruses (in particular HHV-8), genetic predisposition (two alleles in HLA class II genes were found more frequently in patients with Kikuchi disease), and an autoimmune cause because of the correlation with lupus erythematosus. Few cases have been reported in Europe so far. In this article, we report three cases of Kikuchi disease observed in less than 2 months in a single hospital in France. All three patients were teenagers who presented with lymphadenopathy, either isolated or combined with fever, weakness, and weight loss. In all of them, the hypermetabolic activity of the lymph node on the PET scanner misled us to suspect lymphoma. The diagnosis of Kikuchi disease was finally made, for all patients, after 2 weeks in the hospital based on lymph node biopsy. Based on this report, we highlight that early biopsy in presence of lymphadenopathy can avoid unnecessary extensive investigations. Moreover, in this rare disease, it is very surprising to come across three cases that are not family-related, in such a short period of time. This strengthens the hypothesis of the possible implication of an environmental factor in the pathophysiology of Kikuchi disease.

A white man with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease mimicking lymphoma, preceded by frequent episodes of tonsillitis: a case report

Background

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is a very rare cause of benign lymphadenopathy affecting mainly young Asiatic females. Little is known about the causative agent of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease; however, there are hypotheses of infectious, autoimmune, or hyperimmune background of the disease that have not yet been confirmed in the conducted studies. Frequent episodes of tonsillitis preceding the onset of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease have not been described as yet.

Case presentation

A 23-year-old white man with a history of over 20 episodes of tonsillitis in the preceding 2 years was admitted to our hospital because of cervical unilateral lymphadenopathy, fever, night sweating, weight loss, and fatigue. On admission, slight tenderness of cervical lymph nodes and asymmetric palate tonsil enlargement were noted. Owing to the patient’s general symptoms and history of malignancy in his close family, a malignant disease such as lymphoma was suspected. Histopathological examination of the excised lymph node revealed areas of coagulative necrosis with abundant karyorrhectic debris, with histiocytes and lymphocytes observed at the margins of the necrotic areas. The microscopic examination led to an unexpected diagnosis of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease. The patient was treated symptomatically. All of the patient’s symptoms, excluding tonsil enlargement, retreated within 2 months.

Conclusions

In the differential diagnosis of cervical lymphadenopathy in patients with frequent episodes of tonsillitis, Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease should be taken into account. Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease may convincingly mimic symptoms characteristic of lymphoma.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease: an uncommon cause of neck swelling

Kikuchi-Fujimoto's disease (KFD) is a rare, benign condition characterized by histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis predominantly in the cervical region and prolonged fever. It has a higher prevalence in the Japanese and Asian populations although it may be seen in a wide geographic distribution, but rare are the cases reported in Europe. While symptoms resolve spontaneously between 2 weeks and 2 months, complications are described in: CNS, eyes, respiratory tract, kidney and liver. KFD also described an association with systemic lupus erythematosus. This paper describes a rare case of Kikuchi-Fujimoto lymphadenitis and discusses the features of the disease. A 24-year-old man presented with fever and a swollen 3-cm lymph node in the left side of the neck. The definitive diagnosis was established, after excision of level VB nodes on the left, by histologic examination. It revealed structurally intact tissue with scalloping in the paracortical area presenting activated T cells, focal monocytoid B cells, sinus histiocytosis and normally polarized follicles. Other two samples presented focal alterations of the tissue structure due to broad areas of necrosis, conspicuous nuclear debris, large lymphoid cells as well as numerous histiocytes. Immunohistochemistry revealed CD3+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes and histiocytes expressing CD68/PGM-1 (specific for macrophage lineage) and myeloperoxidase (MPO, specific for myeloid lineage). Correct, prompt diagnosis should be established through the findings of imaging and pathologic studies to avoid unnecessary investigation and ineffective therapies.

Retinopathy in lupus transitioned to Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease

Purpose

We present a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus with significant vaso-occlusive retinal findings mimicking antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, who developed Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease.

Observations

Our patient was initially diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome given consistent serologic markers and profound retinal vascular ischemia. However, on subsequent follow up, she presented with fever and lymphadenopathy and underwent lymph node biopsy, which declared histologic findings of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease. Repeat markers for antiphospholipid antibody syndrome were negative and she was taken off lifelong anticoagulation.

Conclusions and importance

Systemic lupus erythematosus and Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease may have many similar features and even biomarkers, and given the potential overlap of presentation, clinicians must carefully distinguish between these diseases to prevent unnecessary treatment.

An uncommon presentation of Kikuchi Fujimoto disease: a case report with literature review

BACKGROUND

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is so named because Kikuchi and Fujimoto were the first scientists to describe it in Japan in 1972. Although the disease has been reported from all over the world and more so from Asia, it is rare. To date only eight cases have been reported from Nepal. Cervical lymphadenopathy, fever and raised Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate are usual presenting features of this disease. We describe a case which presented with thrombocytopenia and axillary lymphadenopathy in addition to the usual features. Out of the total eight cases that have been reported from Nepal so far, no patients had thrombocytopenia and only one patient had axillary lymphadenopathy.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 24-year-old Nepali female presented with a 3-week history of low-grade fever, headache, and painful, discrete, unilateral left-sided cervical and axillary lymphadenopathy. Among the multitude of tests that were carried out, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate was raised and there was thrombocytopenia while other tests were normal. Painful lymphadenopathy pointed to bacterial lymphadenitis while chronic low-grade fever suggested tuberculosis. A cervical lymph node was excised for histopathological examination to reach an accurate diagnosis. On the basis of pathognomonic features viz., paracortical foci composed of various types of histiocytes including crescentic type in the background of abundant apoptotic karyorrhectic debris, a diagnosis of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease was made. On follow-up evaluation after 6 weeks, the patient had no systemic symptoms, enlarged lymph nodes had regressed in size significantly, and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate and platelet count had become normal.

CONCLUSION

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease should be kept in the differential diagnosis of lymphadenopathy in young patients, female or male even in tuberculosis-endemic countries and even in patients who have unusual features; for example thrombocytopenia and involvement of axillary lymph nodes in addition to cervical lymph nodes as in this case.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease: Unusual Presentation of Rare Disease

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a rare, benign disorder that typically follows a self-limiting natural course and was initially described in young females of Asian descent. Its clinical presentation may mimic lymphoproliferative disorders, connective tissue disorders, and chronic infections. This often leads to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. The exact cause of this condition remains unknown although autoimmune processes and certain infectious agents have been associated with the disease. The diagnosis of KFD is made histopathologically. Treatment is supportive and long-term follow-up is recommended due to increased risk of future development of systemic lupus erythematosus. Here we are presenting a case of a patient with an unusual presentation of KFD.