Clinical features and prognosis of 118 children with histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To explore the clinical features and prognosis of children with histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (HNL). Methods: The clinical data of 118 children with HNL diagnosed and treated in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Children's Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2014 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical symptoms, laboratory examination, imaging examination, pathological findings, treatment and follow-up were analyzed. Results: Among the 118 patients, 69 were males and 49 were females. The age of onset was 10.0 (8.0, 12.0) years, ranging from 1.5 to 16.0 years. All the children had fever lymph node enlargement, blood system involvement in 74 cases (62.7%), skin injury in 39 cases (33.1%). The main manifestations of laboratory examination were increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate in 90 cases (76.3%), decreased hemoglobin in 58 cases (49.2%), decreased white blood cells in 54 cases (45.8%) and positive antinuclear antibody in 35 cases (29.7%). Ninety-seven cases (82.2%) underwent B-mode ultrasound of lymph nodes, showing nodular lesions with low echo in the neck; 22 cases (18.6%) underwent cervical X-ray and (or) CT; 7 cases (5.9%) underwent cervical magnetic resonance imaging. Lymph node biopsy was performed in all 118 cases, and the pathological results did not support malignant diseases such as lymphoma or Epstein-Barr virus infection, suggesting HNL. Fifty-seven cases (48.3%) recovered without treatment, 61 cases (51.7%) received oral steroid therapy, and 4 cases (3.4%) received indomethacin as anal stopper. The 118 cases were followed up for 4 (2, 6) years, ranging from 1 to 7 years, 87 cases (73.7%) had one onset and did not develop into other rheumatological diseases, and 24 cases (20.3%) had different degrees of recurrence, 7 cases (5.9%) had multiple system injuries, and all of the tested autoantibodies were positive for medium and high titers. All of them developed into other rheumatic immune diseases, among which 5 cases developed into systemic lupus erythematosus and 2 cases developed into Sjogren's syndrome; 7 cases were given oral steroid therapy, including 6 cases plus immunosuppressant and 2 cases receiving methylprednisolone 20 mg/kg shock therapy. Conclusions: The first-onset HNL portion is self-healing, hormone-sensitive and has a good prognosis. For HNL with repeated disease and multiple system injury, antinuclear antibody titer should be monitored during follow-up, and attention should be paid to the possibility of developing into other rheumatological diseases, with poor prognosis.

A Case of Kikuchi – Fujimoto Disease.

Kikuchi – Fujimoto Disease (KFD) or histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis is a rare benign, self-limited cervical lymphadenitis of unknown etiology. Kikuchi first described the disease in 1972 in Japan. Fujimoto and colleagues independently described Kikuchi’s disease in the same year. It pre-dominantly affects young women and can closely mimic infective and immunological disorders. In this article a case of KFD in a young female is described.

Enfermedad de Kikuchi Fujimoto / Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease

La enfermedad de Kikuchi Fujimoto o linfadenitis histiocitaria necrotizante es una afección benigna, autolimitada, de etiología desconocida y poco frecuente. Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 16 años sin antecedentes de jerarquía que consulta por fiebre y adenopatías cervicales. En el examen físico se constata paciente febril (38.5 °C) con adenopatías cervicales múltiples, bilaterales, duro-elásticas; orofaringe congestiva y esplenomegalia leve sin otros hallazgos patológicos de jerarquía. El laboratorio evidencia pancitopenia y elevación de la velocidad de eritrosedimentación, de la β2 microglobulina, las transaminasas y la lacticodeshidrogenasa. Se efectúan múltiples investigaciones serológicas que resultan negativas, excepto la de inmunoglobulina G para parvovirus, positiva. En la tomografía axial computarizada de cabeza, cuello, tórax, abdomen y pelvis se observan adenomegalias laterocervicales bilaterales, de 15 mm las de mayor tamaño, y axilares bilaterales de menos de 10 mm de diámetro; pequeñas condensaciones pulmonares basales posteriores con derrame pleural leve, esplenomegalia leve homogénea, escaso líquido libre en cavidad abdominal en el fondo de saco de Douglas. Se trata con ampicilina/sulbactam asociado a doxiciclina por posibles infecciones respiratoria y ginecológica. La paciente evoluciona con persistencia de los síntomas. Se realiza biopsia ganglionar que evidencia morfología compatible con enfermedad de Kikuchi Fujimoto. Se inicia tratamiento con prednisona con mejoría clínica y de los exámenes de laboratorio. La enfermedad de Kikuchi Fujimoto es probablemente subinformada y subdiagnosticada debido al bajo índice de sospecha. Al estar más informados, los médicos clínicos podrían investigar y diagnosticar los casos que hoy posiblemente no se detectan.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease or histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis is a rare, benign, self-limited condition of unknown etiology. A 16-year-old woman with no relevant clinical history seeks medical attention for fever and cervical adenopathies. In a physical examination the patient is found to be febrile (38.5 °C) with multiple bilateral, hard-elastic cervical adenopathies, congestive oropharynx and mild splenomegaly with no other relevant pathological findings. The laboratory examination shows signs of pancytopenia and an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, β2-microglobulin, transaminases and lactate dehydrogenase. Several serological tests are carried out with negative results except for immunoglobulin G for parvovirus, which is positive. A computerized axial tomography scan of head, neck, thorax, abdomen and pelvis shows bilateral lateral cervical adenomegalies (the largest with a size of 15 mm) and bilateral axillary adenomegalies of less than 10 mm in diameter; small basal lung condensations with mild pleural effusion, mild homogeneous splenomegaly, and a small amount of free fluid in the abdominal cavity at the bottom of the Douglas cul-de-sac. Possible respiratory and gynecological infections are treated with ampicillin/sulbactam together with doxycycline. The patient progresses with persistence of the symptoms. A lymph node biopsy is then performed, revealing a morphology compatible with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease. Treatment with prednisone is initiated with a clinical and laboratory improvement in the patient's condition. Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is probably under-reported and under-diagnosed due to the low index of suspicion. Greater awareness of this illness would result in clinicians arriving at this diagnosis more often.

Childhood kikuchi-fujimoto disease.

To investigate the clinical features of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) and the relationship between viral infection and this disease in children will be better as Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a lymphadenopathy. The aim of study is to investigate the clinical features of KFD and the relationship. The age, gender, clinical features and aetiopathogenesis of 36 Chinese children with FKD were reviewed, and the viral antigens were detected. Mean age was 10.1 ± 2.8 yr with a male to female ratio of 1.8:1. Fever and lymphadenopathy were the most common complaints, noted in 23 and all cases respectively. Skin rash and hepatosplenomegaly were also noted. Leukopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia and raised ESR were noted in 21, 6, 4 and 31 cases respectively. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) IgM and IgG was positive in 1 and 24 of 29 cases respectively. Antigens of EBV and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV 2) were found in the biopsy tissue section from 2 and 1 case respectively. Autoantibodies were noted in 3 of 15 cases. Steroid hormones were administrated for 19 cases with good efficacy. These results imply that children with lymphadenopathy and/or fever may have KFD and thus excisional biopsy of lymph nodes should be performed earlier on. A hyperimmune reaction of immune cells to EBV and HSV2 may play a role in the pathology of KFD.