Tender cervical lymphadenitis as a herald of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in COVID-19 infection of children and adolescents: a report of two cases.

BACKGROUND: Post-COVID-19 multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) has been increasingly recognized but fever with isolated tender cervical lymphadenitis as the initial presentation has been rarely reported. We present 2 female patients one a child and the other an adolescent. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1 was a 13-year-old girl who presented with tender cervical lymphadenopathy and fever 3-weeks post-COVID-19, and then developed features of MIS 5 days later. Case 2, also female, was 18 years old. She had no history of COVID-19 infection or immunization but had a serologic diagnosis of COVID-19. She similarly presented with fever and tender cervical lymphadenopathy, and then progressed rapidly to develop features of MIS. Both patients responded well to treatment with immunosuppressants and intravenous immunoglobulin. CONCLUSION: Tender cervical lymphadenopathy could be the herald of multi-system inflammatory syndrome following COVID-19 infection among children and adolescents, which the clinicians must have a good suspicion about.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto-like lymphadenopathy following COVID-19 vaccine: diagnosis and management.

A woman in her mid 40s presented for breast imaging after 1 week of painful and enlarged right axillary lymphadenopathy. She denied history of fever, weight loss, night sweats fatigue, cat scratch or other trauma. She received the second dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine 3 months previously on the contralateral arm. A mammogram demonstrated a single, asymmetric, large and dense right axillary lymph node. Ultrasound confirmed a 2.5 cm lymph node with cortical thickening of 0.6 cm. Ultrasound-guided core biopsy showed necrotising lymphadenitis with associated aggregates of histiocytes and plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Potential causes of necrotising adenitis including Bartonella, tuberculosis, Epstein-Barr Virus, herpes simplex virus, systemic lupus erythematosus and lymphoma were excluded. In the absence of any identifiable infectious or autoimmune causes, and given the temporal relatedness with vaccine administration, it was determined that the Kikuchi-Fujimoto-like necrotising lymphadenitis was likely secondary to the COVID-19 vaccine. To date, there has been no casual association made between the COVID-19 vaccine and KFD necrotising lymphadenitis.

Mycobacterium mageritense Lymphadenitis in Child.

Although human infections caused by Mycobacterium mageritense are rare, there are some case reports involving sinusitis, pneumonia, and hospital-acquired infections in adults. We report a case of lymphadenitis caused by M. mageritense in a child in Spain.

New mimic of relapse or regional lymph node metastasis in a cancer survivor: a case of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine-induced lymphadenitis with high FDG uptake.

Western countries that were first to administer the COVID-19 vaccination report cases of vaccine-induced axillary lymphadenitis with high FDG uptake. However, no such findings have been reported from any Asian countries. We report here a confusing case of a 31-year-old female cancer survivor with high FDG uptake in her axillary lymph nodes, suggesting recurrence, following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Although the value of SUVmax was elevated (12.7), additional imaging revealed that her lymphatic lesions were benign, and they resolved spontaneously. This case of a strong immune reaction to COVID-19 vaccination in regional lymph nodes is the first reported in a Japanese patient. We should be aware of this new mimic and optimize diagnostic imaging methods accordingly in the era of COVID-19.

Differentiating multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: a single-centre retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Features of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) overlap with other febrile illnesses, hindering prompt and accurate diagnosis. The objectives of this study were to identify clinical and laboratory findings that distinguished MIS-C from febrile illnesses in which MIS-C was considered but ultimately excluded, and to examine the diseases that most often mimicked MIS-C in a tertiary medical centre. STUDY DESIGN: We identified all children hospitalised with fever who were evaluated for MIS-C at our centre and compared clinical signs and symptoms, SARS-CoV-2 status and laboratory studies between those with and without MIS-C. Multivariable logistic LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) regression was used to identify the most discriminative presenting features of MIS-C. RESULTS: We identified 50 confirmed MIS-C cases (MIS-C+) and 68 children evaluated for, but ultimately not diagnosed with, MIS-C (MIS-C-). In univariable analysis, conjunctivitis, abdominal pain, fatigue, hypoxaemia, tachypnoea and hypotension at presentation were significantly more common among MIS-C+ patients. MIS-C+ and MIS-C- patients had similar elevations in C-reactive protein (CRP), but were differentiated by thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia, and elevated ferritin, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, BNP and troponin. In multivariable analysis, predictors of MIS-C included age, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelets, conjunctivitis, oral mucosa changes, abdominal pain and hypotension. CONCLUSIONS: Among hospitalised children undergoing evaluation for MIS-C, children with MIS-C were older, more likely to present with conjunctivitis, oral mucosa changes, abdominal pain and hypotension, and had higher neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios and lower platelet counts. These data may be helpful for discrimination of MIS-C from other febrile illnesses, including bacterial lymphadenitis and acute viral infection, with overlapping features.

Supraclavicular Lymphadenitis Following COVID-19 (preprint)

IntroductionCervical lymphadenopathy in children is a common problem in daily clinical practice. Many cases of cervical lymphadenopathy after the COVID-19 vaccine were reported. However, there is no yet reporting a case of supraclavicular cervical lymphadenopathy as a result of COVID-19.Case presentationA 12-years-old girl presented with fever, cough, fatigue, anosmia, and ageusia. COVID-19 was confirmed by real-time PCR. The symptoms were resolved within 10 days. After 7 days, she complained of supraclavicular swelling. Physical examination revealed painless, multiple, and mobile supraclavicular lymph nodes. Ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration cytology were suspicious. Therefore, an excisional biopsy of the largest node was performed. The specimen was sent for histopathology and immunohistochemistry evaluation which confirmed the benign nature of the lymph node.ConclusionTo our best knowledge, this is the first case of supraclavicular lymphadenopathy in a child with COVID-19. It is essential to put COVID-19 in the differential diagnosis of cervical lymphadenopathy.

COVID-19 myocarditis and postinfection Bell's palsy.

Here we present the case of a 37-year-old previously healthy man who developed fever, headache and a unilateral, painful neck swelling while working offshore. He had no known contact with anyone with COVID-19; however, due to the ongoing pandemic, a nasopharyngeal swab was performed, which was positive for the virus. After transfer to hospital for assessment his condition rapidly deteriorated, requiring admission to intensive care for COVID-19 myocarditis. One week after discharge he re-presented with unilateral facial nerve palsy. Our case highlights an atypical presentation of COVID-19 and the multifaceted clinical course of this still poorly understood disease.

Unusual Presentation of Kawasaki Disease with Multisystem Inflammation and Antibodies Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: A Case Report (preprint)

Background: Since mid-April 2020, cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that mimic Kawasaki disease (KD) have been reported in Europe and North America. However, no cases have been in East Asia, where KD is more prevalent.Case presentation: A previously healthy 11-year-old boy was admitted with a 4-day history of fever and abdominal pain. He had no contact history to any patient with COVID-19. Blood acute inflammatory markers were highly elevated. He was treated with antibiotics for suspected bacterial enteritis, but he suddenly developed hypotension. Inotropics and intravenous immunoglobulin were administered to manage septic shock. On hospitalization day 6, he developed signs and symptoms of KD (conjunctival injection, strawberry tongue, cracked lip, and coronary artery dilatation) in addition to pleural/pericardial effusion and mesenteric lymphadenitis. The results of microbiologic tests, including reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), were negative. Fluorescent immunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed abundant IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in his serum, but no IgM antibodies. He was discharged successfully on day 13.Conclusion: MIS-C may occur in children with a previously asymptomatic COVID-19 infection. A high index of suspicion is required for this novel syndrome in unusual cases of KD or KD shock syndrome with multisystem inflammation, even when there is no clear history of contact or symptoms of COVID-19.