title: A clinical study of histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi's disease) in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (HNL) is a cervical lymphadenitis that occurs rarely in children. This study was conducted to identify the clinical characteristics of lymphadenitis in children and compare the clinical characteristics observed in children and adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of the 20 patients 18 years of age or younger who were diagnosed with HNL based on histological tests conducted at Gyeongsang University Hospital from January 1998 to December 2006 were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HNL affected males and females at a 1:1 ratio, but HNL was more common in boys (8:3) among the children and HNL affected more girls among the adolescents (2:7). Cervical lymphadenopathy was the main symptom. The antinuclear antibody test was positive in three patients. Two relapse cases were reported, but both patients recuperated within several months without complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HNL affected males and females at an equal incidence (1:1). But HNL occurred more often in male children than in female children, and more often in female adolescents than in male adolescents. Relapse occurred in 10% of the cases. HNL could progress into systemic lupus erythematosus in the three cases that were ANA-positive. Thus, a long follow-up period is important.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Hyun Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Jung Je
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sea Yuong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Jin Pyeong
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Dong Gu
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.forename: Seong Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Oh Jin
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D020042:Histiocytic Necrotizing Lymphadenitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000209:etiology; D007723:Korea; D007902:Length of Stay; D007970:Leukopenia / Q000209:etiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D002097:C-Reactive Protein