Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease

An unusual disease

Abstract

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is self-limited, has a good prognosis, is diagnosed histopathologically, is more common on the Asian continent, in women and in those under the age of 40, and is usually diagnosed by exclusion. We present the case of a 20-year-old male patient with no significant medical history who consulted due to persistent fever, enlarged lymph nodes, gastrointestinal symptoms and weight loss. He debuted with pancytopenia, elevated acute phase reactants and altered liver function, and underwent an excisional lymph node biopsy, whose findings were compatible with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease. He was treated symptomatically with NSAIDs and was followed up one month after discharge, at which time there was no evidence of recurrent fever or other additional symptoms.