Recurrent Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease

We report the case of a 27-year-old, UK-born, Asian woman who suffered a rare recurrence of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease. She presented with tender lymphadenopathy of the neck, fever and a prodrome of flu-like symptoms. She had a past medical history of biopsy-proven Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease of her right axilla 2 years earlier, which required no treatment. Following her repeat admission, a cervical lymph node biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of recurrent Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease. She did not improve despite treatment with paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). She was started on high-dose prednisolone and her symptoms, pyrexia, and inflammatory markers settled within 24 h. She continually improved and the prednisolone was slowly reduced over 9 months. Kikuchi-Fujimoto is a rare, benign, self-limiting disease that presents with lymphadenopathy and fever. It rarely reoccurs. The severity, recurrence and the different body site make this an unusual case.