Previously healthy 13 year old boy with two month history of cervical lymphadenopathy, and two week history of fevers, night sweats, fatigue and weight loss.
Case Discussion
Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is an acute, self-limited, lymphadenopathy affecting young patients, with cervical lymph nodes most commonly affected. Patients usually present with B-type symptoms and cervical lymphadenopathy. The etiology is unclear, however viral (EBV, HHV6) or autoimmune causes have been suggested.
There are three phases of KFD: lymphohistiocytic/proliferative, necrotic and phagocytic/foamy cell type.
Lymphoma, systemic lupus erythematosus, viral and bacterial infections, and Kawasaki disease need to be considered and ruled out.
This slide shows H&E stain. See Related Content for CD68 and CD3 stains.
Mrkonjic, M., Chami, R. Lymph nodes, Kikuchi-Fujimoto Lymphadenitis, H&E stain. Digital Laboratory Medicine Library, Dept of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto. Published
. Accessed December 17, 2025. https://dev.dlml.cflabs.ca/image/lymph-nodes-kikuchi-fujimoto-lymphadenitis-he-stain-lmp12985
