Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease: A Differential for When It is Not Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a rare and benign disease process that is characterized by fever and lymphadenopathy that was first described in young Japanese women in the early 1970s. Knowledge of KFD is important as it can often mimic other causes of lymphadenopathy including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or malignancies, and this can lead to invasive diagnostic testing and even treatments that can be avoided. The etiology and exact mechanism by which KFD develops is not fully understood at this time, but is thought to be an immune response of T cells and histiocytes to viral or bacterial infections.