Kikuchi’s disease: A rare clinical entity of cervical lymphadenopathy with review of literature

Abstract

Background and objectives: Kikuchi disease is an uncommon, idiopathic, generally self-limited cause of lymphadenitis. The disease runs a self-limiting course usually resolving in 6 to 8 months of occurrence, with the usual clinical manifestations being cervical lymphadenopathy, with or without systemic manifestations. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was done in three cases of Kikuchi disease reported over 2 years. All three females had cervical lymphadenopathy not responding to empirical treatment. All had excision of the lymph nodes with immunohistochemistry, which suggested the necrotizing lymphadenopathy. Other similar diagnoses, like systemic lupus erythematosus, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Kawasaki, tuberculous, metastatic lymphadenopathy, were excluded. Conclusion: The rare possibility of cervical lymphadenopathy being Kikuchi’s disease should be thought if empirical therapy fails. So, a meticulous effort by the pathologist and surgeon helps in diagnosing the self-limiting, little understood disease of Kikuchi in young patients with cervical lymphadenopathy and fever.