Kimura’s Disease

Epidemiology

Kimura’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology but thought to be immunologically mediated. Most cases have been reported in the parotid and submandibular glands and were described predominantly in Chinese and Japanese people. Kimura’s disease has been reported in the external ear, epiglottis, salivary glands, and lymph nodes. The disease rarely involves the pharynx. This disorder occurs mainly in the second and third decades and is more common in males with a male to female ratio of 3:1.

Clinical Findings

The most common mode of presentation is painless neck swelling. Patients with pharyngeal involvement may present with neck pain and dysphagia. Peripheral blood eosinophilia is an invariable feature of this entity.

Pathology

Histology shows dense infiltration of eosinophils in the submucosa with formation of eosinophilic abscesses. Proliferation of small vessels lined by prominent endothelial cells has been noted with interspersed plasma cells and lymphocytes between aggregates of eosinophils.

Treatment