Painless lymphadenopathy, eosinophilia and nephrotic syndrome: a diagnostic challenge in an era of increased migration.

Abstract

Kimura’s disease is a rare chronic inflammatory condition of unknown cause that most frequently affects Asian adults. It is characterized by painless lymphadenopathy in the head and neck region and eosinophilia, often associated with nephrotic syndrome. Α young Asian male presented to our Department with œdema at the lower limbs and scrotum, retroauricular masses, eosinophilia and proteinuria. Diagnosis was reached by a combination of the clinical picture, the patient’s origin and a histological examination, which revealed well-developed lymph follicles with increased numbers of eosinophils and fibrosis, a finding typical of Kimura’s disease. In case of a young Asian male who is otherwise healthy, but presents head/neck masses and/or unexplained eosinophilia associated with nephrotic syndrome, consider Kimura’s disease in the differential diagnosis.