Kikuchi disease

Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease or Necrotizing Lymphadenitis is a rare, benign, self-limiting disease. It usually effects young females in the third decade of life. The most common presentation is cervical lymphadenopathy, though the etiology of the disease is still controversial. Clinical findings, histological diagnosis and immunohistochemistry help in diagnosis. Once diagnosed, steroids have been found to alleviate symptoms in patients with systemic manifestations. Antibiotics should not be prescribed until infective element is identified. We report the case of a female patient who presented with tender cervical lymphadenopathy. She was diagnosed on excision biopsy of one of her lymph nodes. Anti-inflammatory drugs were started but the disease relapsed briefly after. Her symptoms have improved remarkably after initiation of steroid therapy, since her relapse.