Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Kimura disease is a rare, benign, chronic, lymphoproliferative disorder of unknown etiology that affects the skin and lymph nodes and mostly observed in males of Asia. CASE REPORT: We report a 55-year-old man who presented neck and intraparotid lymphadenopathy. Surgical removal of the growth confirmed the histological diagnosis of Kimura disease. DISCUSSION: Kimura disease is endemic in the Far East (China and Japan) but exceptional in Europe; < 200 cases have been reported in the literature, with less than 40 involving a parotid region. The histological characteristics of Kimura disease are lymphocyte follicular hyperplasia, eosinophilic tissue infiltration, fibrocollagenous deposition and vascular proliferation. Main treatment is surgical, but recurrence is frequent. CONCLUSION: Kimura disease is a rare condition, but should be considered in the case of cervical mass associated with hypereosinophilia and/or strongly elevated IgE levels, especially in Far Eastern patients.