Kikuchi-Fujimoto’s disease and scrub typhus: A rare association

Rinuchitra D ¹, Jagadeeswaran Govindarajan ¹, Saravanan THANGAVELU ¹, Alamelu JAYARAMAN ²

¹ Department of Medicine and ² Department of Pathology, PSG Hospitals, Institute of Medical Science and Research, Coimbatore, India

ABSTRACT

Kikuchi-Fujimoto’s disease (KFD), histologically described as necrotising histiocytic lymphadenitis, is a benign self-limiting disease though a few fatalities have been reported. It is uncommon outside Japan and other Asiatic countries and thus lack of awareness among physicians may have led to its under-diagnosis or misdiagnosis as lymphoma or tuberculosis. It has recently gained importance due to its possible association with autoimmune disorders and viral infections especially Infectious Mononucleosis. Here we report a young South Indian man with fever, upper respiratory tract infection and tender cervical lymphadenopathy confirmed by biopsy to be KFD. He also had coexistent scrub typhus infection evident by positive markers during the course of illness, which became negative six weeks later. Supportive management with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents has led to complete remission of symptoms. Association between KFD and scrub typhus has not been previously reported.

Keywords: Histiocytic necrotising lymphadenitis, young male, diagnosis, anti-inflammatory agents, scrub typhus

Correspondence author: Thangavelu Saravanan, Department of Medicine, PSG Hospitals, Institute of Medical Science and Research, Coimbatore-641004, India.

Tel: +91-9443578040, +91-422-2570170 (6 lines); ext 5160.

E mail: dr_saravanan12@yahoo.co.in

Brunei Int Med J. 2012; 8 (5): 271-274