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Rare disease
CASE REPORT
Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease: a rare cause of cervical lymphadenopathy and fever
  1. Yu Kwong Wong1,
  2. Marium Khan2
  1. 1General Medicine, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
  2. 2Department of Histopathology, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Yu Kwong Wong, wpaulw{at}gmail.com

Summary

A 28-year-old Pakistani man with previously treated latent tuberculosis (TB) presented with a 3-month history of productive cough, fever, drenching night sweats, anorexia, sore throat and tender left cervical lymphadenopathy. Extensive biochemical and microbiological tests, and imaging studies were all inconclusive. Lymph node biopsy revealed the diagnosis of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD). He had persistent fever and anorexia during admission despite supportive measures which resolved quickly on starting prednisolone. He remained well after being weaned off steroids on 18 weeks’ follow-up. KFD is a rare, self-limiting disease which can mimic several serious conditions such as TB and lymphoma. Prompt diagnosis with lymph node biopsy is paramount in addressing diagnostic uncertainty and avoids starting potentially toxic treatment on these patients.

  • haematology (incl blood transfusion)
  • pathology

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2018-225210

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors YKW has contributed to the planning, writing and reviewing of the case report, with the exception of the histology section. MK has contributed to the writing of the histology section of the case report with pictures, and reviewing of the case report. She is the pathologist who provided histology report of the lymph node biopsy for the patient involved.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.