Kikuchi disease


Ki·ku·chi disease

(kē-kū'chē), necrotizing lymphadenitis of unknown etiology characterized by lymph node enlargement, associated with fever that subsides spontaneously. Most often seen in young women in Japan but appears in other countries.

Kikuchi disease

A rare, idiopathic lesion of young women, which is characterised by painful localised, usually cervical, lymphadenopathy. 
Clinical findings
Fever or upper-respiratory tract symptoms, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, night sweats.
Lab
Increased interferon-gamma, IL-6 , FasL in acute phase, anti-nuclear antibodies, elevated ESR; 50% of cases have a mild reduction in neutrophils and increase in lymphocytes. 
Prognosis
Benign, self-limited; usually resolves in 1 to 4 months.
 
Note: Some authors regard Kikuchi’s disease as a forme fruste of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Ki·ku·chi dis·ease

(ki-kū'chē di-zēz') Necrotizing lymphadenitis of unknown etiology, most often encountered in young women in Japan but also in other parts of the world; lymph node enlargement, associated with fever; subsides spontaneously.