A challenging case of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease with systemic lupus erythematosus complicated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a young man

Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in adults: A single-center analysis of 5 cases

BACKGROUND

Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (HNL) is a self-limited inflammatory disease of unknown pathogenesis. A very small fraction of patients with HNL could develop hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a hyperinflammatory disorder. These patients are diagnosed as HNL with HLH (HNL-HLH). HNL-HLH in the pediatric population has been systemically studied, however, the clinical, laboratory, and radiological features and outcomes of adult patients with HNL-HLH remain to be explored. We aimed to explore the clinical, laboratory, and radiological features and outcomes of adult patients with HNL-HLH.

METHODS

We collected the clinical data of patients with HNL-HLH admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from October 2010 to June 2015. All the patients underwent lymph node biopsy and have a pathological diagnosis of HNL. The age, gender, clinical presentation, lymph node signs, laboratory findings and imaging data, and pathological findings of the patients were collected.

RESULTS

In this study, we reported five adult patients with HNL-HLH. All five patients showed enlarged lymph nodes and prolonged fever. Laboratory findings were consistent with the diagnosis of HLH. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) showed enlarged lymph nodes with increased FDG uptake and splenic hypermetabolism could be present. All the patients responded well to corticosteroids and had a good prognosis. Two of the five patients were diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus during the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrated that adult patients with HNL-HLH showed distinct clinical, laboratory, and radiological features. And the prognosis is good and patients could be managed with steroids and supportive care.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Systemic Sclerosis Overlap: A Unique Clinical Presentation

Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease (KFD), or histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (HNL), is a rare self-limiting disorder presenting with fever and swollen lymph nodes. It is characterized by the focal proliferation of reticular cells, the presence of nuclear debris, and histiocytes. In advanced cases, it can present with hepato-splenomegaly and generalized lymphadenopathy. Historically, it has been associated with viral infections, as it frequently was found to be associated with upper respiratory symptoms. Alternative explanations include the immune response of T-cells leading to alteration in CD8-positive T-cell-mediated cell apoptosis. It is also speculated that KFD can be associated with rheumatological autoimmune diseases. We present a case of a 21-year-old African American female with a known diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-systemic sclerosis (SS) overlap presented with febrile lymphadenopathy and was diagnosed to have HNL on histological exam of lymph node biopsy.

Relapsing Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease With Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is a rare, benign, and self-limited disease of uncertain etiology, affecting mostly young female patients. It usually manifests as posterior cervical lymphadenopathy and fever. Its diagnosis is based on typical histopathological changes after the exclusion of other diseases such as lupus, lymphoma, or infectious lymphadenitis. The authors present a 47-year-old female patient with recurring episodes of high fever, urticarial rash, myalgia, arthralgia, fatigue, sore throat, and generalized lymphadenopathy. Blood tests showed increased inflammatory parameters and positive antinuclear antibodies. In the two times the patient was admitted to the hospital there were no infectious agents isolated. The patient didn't fulfill the criteria for diagnosis of lupus or any other autoimmune disease and there was also no evidence of lymphoma or other neoplastic diseases. A positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) was performed at the first and second hospitalizations, showing generalized lymphadenopathy. At the first hospitalization, a mediastinal lymph node biopsy was obtained, excluding lymphoproliferative or granulomatous disease. During the course of the second hospitalization, a cervical lymph node was excised for biopsy, the histopathological changes of which suggested the diagnosis of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease. The clinical course was complicated by hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, with a significant increase in inflammatory markers and liver dysfunction. The patient was treated with prednisolone 1 mg/kg/day, with complete resolution of clinical and biochemical changes.