A 28-year-old new mother in Iowa was plagued by debilitating symptoms after childbirth, including daily fevers that lasted up to two days. Despite undergoing antibiotics and several medical tests, doctors were unable to determine the cause of her recurring fevers.
The patient had been given a course of antibiotics at a local hospital but still suffered from intense fever. The doctors then ordered blood tests for rare infections and conducted an ultrasound and MRI to rule out bacterial or cancerous causes. However, none of these tests provided any conclusive answers.
After weeks of testing, the doctors recommended a PET scan to determine if her symptoms were caused by infection or autoimmune disease. Although the test did not provide a diagnosis, it revealed an unusual accumulation of cells in her lymph nodes.
The patient was scheduled for a biopsy, but fortunately, she made a surprising recovery and never experienced another fever. The medical team determined that she had Kikuchi disease, a rare condition characterized by abnormal immune reactions often triggered by viral infections. After just three weeks of treatment, the patient’s symptoms resolved on their own, and she has since returned home to care for her infant with her husband and parents.
The case highlights the importance of perseverance in medical diagnosis, as well as the need for continued research into rare diseases like Kikuchi disease.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/well/fever-childbirth-kikuchi-disease.html