Background: Cat-scratch disease is common among children. Among adults the disease is less often considered in the differential diagnosis of enlarged lymph nodes and fever.
Aim: To report the clinical and laboratory features of eight patients with cat-scratch disease.
Material and methods: Review of the medical records of eight patients (aged 22 to 57 years, six males) with a serological diagnosis of cat-scratch disease (an IgG titer over 1:256, by immunofluorescence).
Results: Only five patients recalled having had contact with cats. Seven had fever and weight loss. Six had excessive sweating and five had chills. Seven had painfully enlarged lymph nodes mainly in submandibular and axillary regions. All had an increased C reactive protein and six had elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Five had leukocytosis and four an elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase. The disease subsided in all, even in one patient that did not receive antimicrobials.
Conclusions: Cat-scratch disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of adult patients with lymph adenitis and fever.