A retrospective study of 20 patients with Kimura’s disease from China

Abstract

Background

Kimura’s disease (KD) is an eosinophilic proliferative lymphoid disease with rare incidence rate and nonspecific clinical symptoms.

Objectives

To investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of KD.

Materials and methods

The clinical manifestations, laboratory examination, imaging examination, proposed treatment, and prognosis of 20 patients with KD treated in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

All cases showed painless masses. The proportion of peripheral blood eosinophils rose in 18 cases (90%), the eosinophil count increased in 14 cases (70%) and the serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were significantly increased in 5 patients (100%). Pathological examination revealed follicular hyperplasia, eosinophils infiltration, and tiny vessels proliferation in KD samples.

Conclusions

KD should be considered when the patients suffered head and neck subcutaneous painless mass, increased peripheral blood eosinophils and raised serum IgE level. Pathological examination is the golden standard for diagnosing KD. Surgical intervention, medical treatments, and radiotherapy may be effective for KD treatment.

Significance

This study might shed a light on improving the diagnosis and treatment for KD.

Chinese Abstract

背景：木村病（KD）是一种嗜酸性增殖性淋巴疾病, 发病率罕见, 临床症状无特异性。

目的：探讨KD的临床特点、诊断、治疗及预后。

材料与方法：回顾性分析我院收治的20例KD患者的临床表现、实验室检查、影像检查、治疗方案及预后。

结果：所有病例均表现为无痛性肿块。 18例患者（90%）外周血嗜酸性粒细胞比例上升, 14例（70%）嗜酸性粒细胞计数增加, 5 名患者 （100%）血清免疫球蛋白E（IgE）的水平显著升高。病理检查发现KD 样本中滤泡增生、嗜酸性粒细胞浸润和微小血管增生。

结论：患者出现头颈部皮下无痛性肿块、外周血嗜酸性粒细胞增多、血清IgE升高时应考虑KD。病理检查是诊断 KD 的金标准。手术干预、药物治疗和放射疗法可能对KD治疗有效。

意义：本研究可能有助于改善 KD 的诊断和治疗。

Keywords:

• Kimura’s disease
• eosinophilic lymphoid granuloma
• painless mass
• eosinophilia
• treatment

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were following the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments.

Informed consent

This was retrospective study, thus no informed consent was needed.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Special Finance Project of Fujian Province [Grant numbers: 2019B022].