Lymphadenopathy in the Pediatric Patient: A Journey Through a Challenging Diagnosis

Abstract

This case report describes a 16-year-old male diagnosed with cat scratch disease. Initially assessed by pediatricians for worsening submandibular lymphadenopathy and was advised to undergo lymph node excisional biopsy to exclude malignancy. Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a relatively common zoonotic infection transmitted from a cat scratch or a cat bite to humans. It manifests with acute lymphadenopathy or lymphadenitis, usually affecting cervical, submandibular, or axillary lymph nodes, with or without systemic symptoms. A detailed patient history, especially about animal exposure, is crucial to suspecting the condition, which can be confirmed or ruled out later with simple serological tests. The patient was suspected of having CSD based on a history of a cat bite, received laboratory confirmation of the disease, and was successfully treated with proper antibiotics.