ENT manifestations of tuberculosis: an important aspect of ENT practice

Abstract

Tuberculosis involving organs other than the lungs
is termed as 'extra pulmonary tuberculosis'.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a worldwide public
health problem despite the fact that the causative
organism was discovered more than 100 years
ago. The present study was conducted to assess
different manifestations of tuberculosis affecting
the ear, nose and throat (ENT) in patients
attending the outpatient department in a total of
520 cases of tuberculosis. One hundred and eight
cases were of extra pulmonary tuberculosis. Sixty
nine cases had the manifestations of TB in the ENT
region. These included patients with tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy (91.35), laryngeal TB
(4.3%), tuberculous otitis media (1.4%), nasal TB
(1.4%) and oral tuberculosis (1.4%). Extra
pulmonary tuberculosis constitutes about 15-20%
of all tuberculosis cases as per WHO survey and it
is 20.6% in the present study.