Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease: A Differential for When It is Not Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a rare and benign disease process that is characterized by fever and lymphadenopathy that was first described in young Japanese women in the early 1970s. Knowledge of KFD is important as it can often mimic other causes of lymphadenopathy including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or malignancies, and this can lead to invasive diagnostic testing and even treatments that can be avoided. The etiology and exact mechanism by which KFD develops is not fully understood at this time, but is thought to be an immune response of T cells and histiocytes to viral or bacterial infections. We present a 35-year-old African-American woman who was referred to the rheumatology clinic by our colleagues in the breast clinic with new onset right axillary lymphadenopathy and abnormal serologic testing with the suspicion of SLE after a malignancy had been ruled out.

Kikuchi disease: A case report about Sintilimab-induced Kikuchi histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis and literature review

“…Kikuchi disease has been described as a self-limiting systemic lupus erythematosus-like autoimmune disease with similar histological and epidemiological characteristics [ 42 ]. The histology of lymphadenitis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be similar to that of Kikuchi vine disease, but the presence of hematoxylin in SLE lymphadenitis helps to distinguish it from Kikuchi vine disease [ 43 ]. However, the patient 's pathological tissue HE staining showed no hematoxylin.…”

Diagnóstico diferencial de linfonodomegalia: doença de Kikuchi-Fujimoto concomitante à Sífilis

“…A linfadenopatia está presente na totalidade de casos descritos e surge de forma dolorosa principalmente em cadeias cervicais posteriores unilateralmente, mas também sendo descrita a forma supraclavicular e, raramente, axilar. (6). Em um estudo dos Estados Unidos da década de 1980, com 108 pacientes, apenas 3 apresentavam linfadenopatia cervical bilateral, tal qual este caso apresentado.…”