Abstract
Purpose
Kikuchi disease (KD) is typically a benign disease. Recent studies reporting recurrence or serious cases suggest a possible association of KD with systemic autoimmune disorders. We performed a long-term analysis of the characteristics of KD in patients of all ages and assessed KD recurrence or progress to systemic autoimmune disorders.
Patients and Methods
Electronic medical records of patients diagnosed with KD between April 1995 and May 2017 were reviewed for clinical and laboratory manifestations.
Results
In total, 480 patients were confirmed to have KD based on histopathology findings. The mean age at KD diagnosis was 24.4 years. Recurrence occurred in 11.3% of patients; 2.7% developed autoimmune diseases after KD diagnosis. Patients who experienced recurrence had more extranodal symptoms, lymphopenia, and a longer lymphopenia-recovery duration. Patients who developed autoimmune diseases after KD were more likely to have extranodal symptoms, KD recurrence, and anti-nuclear antibody positivity.
Conclusion
KD patients with risk factors need to be followed-up for KD recurrence and the development of systemic autoimmune diseases.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the new faculty research fund of Ajou University School of Medicine. We would like to thank Editage for English language editing.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest related to this work.