Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease Following COVID-19 Vaccination: Experience at a Population-Based Referral Center.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Multiple case reports describe Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) following COVID-19 vaccination, but the true nature of this phenomenon is unknown. The purpose of this study was to further assess the relationship between KFD and COVID-19 vaccination at the population level. METHODS: Confirmed KFD cases from January 2018 to April 2022 were identified from provincial pathology archives and analyzed in the context of vaccination statistics from public health resources. RESULTS: Our statistical models provide evidence of a temporal association between KFD and both antecedent COVID-19 vaccine administration as well as age-stratified vaccination rates. Eight new cases of plausible COVID-19 vaccine-associated KFD are presented, collectively exhibiting clinical and pathologic features that overlap substantially with those of idiopathic KFD. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that KFD is observed in association with COVID-19 vaccination and suggest that mechanistic studies are warranted.