Exploring Cervical Lymphadenitis in Children: PFAPA as a challenge in differential diagnosis – a rare or unknown disease?

Abstract

Cervical lymphadenitis is an inflammation of the lymph nodes located in the neck region and occurs predominantly in children of both sexes, and may be related to other diseases, rarely presenting in isolation. With this in mind, the general objective of this article is to analyze and elucidate Cervical Lymphadenitis in children, focusing on PFAPA Syndrome, highlighting its characteristics, challenges in differential diagnosis and questioning whether this condition is a rare disease or still little recognized by the medical community. The methodology used was the literary search in databases such as SCIELO and LILACS, using the following descriptors: PFAPA, cervical lymphadenitis and children; The selected articles were published in full in Portuguese and English, in the years 2016 to 2023. After analyzing the materials, it can be concluded that lymphadenitis can be originated by viruses or bacteria and are better identified in childhood, which allows the applicability of more efficient interventions and treatments, according to the patient's needs.