Hemophagocytic Syndrome Secondary to Kikuchi–Fujimoto Disease: A Rare Case in a Pregnant Woman

Kikuchi–Fujimoto disease, also known as subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis, is a rare clinical self-limiting inflammatory disorder with unknown etiology. It typically manifests as fever, fatigue, and joint pain. The most common signs are lymphadenopathy, rash, and splenomegaly. In this rare case report, the patient was a woman in 10-week pregnancy with recurrent fever for 2 weeks. Her whole-body positron emission tomography with 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-d-glucose ( 18 F-FDG) integrated with computed tomography revealed multiple enlarged lymph nodes throughout her body with increased 18 F-FDG uptake. The patient was diagnosed with Kikuchi–Fujimoto disease based on the pathologic examination of the right axillary lymph node. Her bone marrow cytology indicated the presence of phagocytes and hemophagocytosis.