Kikuchi Disease: The Great Masquerador - A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

We report the case of a 19-year-old Chinese woman who presented with fevers and cervical lymphadenopathy, mimicking infectious mononucleosis. Histology of the affected lymph nodes revealed necrotizing lymphadenitis, consistent with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease. Remaining infectious work-up was negative. Kikuchi-Fujimoto should always be included in the differential diagnosis in cases of cervical lymphadenopathy, particularly in young Asian women, as it may mimic other clinical entities and further work-up for other underlying autoimmune processes should be pursued.