Kimura's Disease: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Kimura's Disease (KD) is a benign chronic inflammatory disorder attributed to an immune mediated hypersensitivity. It typically manifests by painless subcutaneous nodules in head or neck region and often accompanied by regional lymphadenopathy, salivary gland involvement along with hyper eosinophilia and elevated serum IgE. Most cases have been described predominantly in Chinese and Japanese people. Kimura's disease has been confused with Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia with Eosinophilia (ALHE), from which it probably should be distinguished as a separate entity. The course is usually benign except for the potential cosmetic disfigurement. The diagnosis may be suggested by a fine needle aspirate, but is established by a biopsy. A case of Kimura's disease in a 42 year male with recurrent left submandibular swelling is presented together with a brief review of the literature.