A case of Kikuchi's disease with skin involvement

Abstract

Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, which is also commonly referred to as Kikuchi's disease (KD), is a self-limiting disease of unknown etiology. It affects individuals of all ages, although it is usually seen in young women. However, only a few descriptions of this disease are available in the pediatric literature. KD is clinically characterized by cervical lymphadenopathy, high fever, myalgia, neutropenia and, rarely, cutaneous eruptions. Cutaneous manifestations have been reported in 16-40 percent of KD cases. The specific skin changes occurring in cases of KD have yet to be completely characterized. In most of the reported cases thus far, the lesions have been located on the face and upper extremities. In this report, we describe a case of pediatric Kikuchi's disease, occurring in a 9- year-old boy. The boy exhibited transient erythematous maculopapular skin lesions over the entirety of his body, including his lower extremities.