Three Cases of Subacute Necrotizing Lymphadenitis in Childhood

ABSTRACT

Subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis was first reported by Kikuchi and Fujimoto in 1972. Young females no more than 30 years of age are mainly affected. It usually manifests as fever and cervical lymphadenopathy. We experienced three cases of subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis in an 11-year-old boy, a 12- year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl. Symptoms presented were URI signs, diarrhea, headache and weight loss along with fever and cervical lymphadenopathy. Fever persisted from 9 to 30 days and did not respond to antibiotics. We performed aspiration biopsy of cervical lymph node which was consistent with subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis in all cases. We used oral steroid in one case. Fever and lymphadenopathy subsided spontaneously within one month. There were no other complications.