Kimura’s Disease: a Rare Cause of Neck Swelling

KIMURA'S DISEASE is a rare condition and manifests as solitary or multiple subcutaneous nodules in the head and neck region, with eosinophilia and adenopathy. It is a benign chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. Histologically the lesions are characterized by hyperplastic lymphoid tissue, an inflammatory infiltrate rich in eosinophils and a proliferation of postcapillary venules. Hypereosinophilia in the blood and elevated levels of circulating IgE are found. The disease progresses slowly and is endemic to Asians. Treatment consists of surgical resection and administration of parenteral steroids in relapse cases. The prognosis is good and no malignant transformation has been ever observed. Introduction: Kimura’s disease was first described in China in 1937, but it was not referred to as Kimura’s disease until its description in the Japanese literature in 1948. It is a benign chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. It mainly involves the lymph nodes and subcutaneous tissue of head and neck region. It is often associated with regional lymphadenopathy. Rare sites include the kidney, orbit, ear, spermatic cord and nerves. The classical triad of Kimura’s disease include single or multiple painless, slowly enlarging soft tissue mass, associated lymphadenopathy and peripheral eosinophilia, raised ESR & serum IgE. The disease usually presents as a single or multiple painless nodule.