Miliary tuberculosis presenting as scrofula in a healthy man: a diagnostic challenge

Abstract

Tuberculous lymphadenitis constitutes up to 40% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Chronic cervical lymphadenopathy may be the only manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in the head and neck region. Symptoms, clinical findings and prognosis differ greatly depending on the host’s immune system, existing comorbidities, site and extension of infection as well as early diagnosis and commencement of treatment. We report a case of miliary tuberculosis with both pulmonary and extrapulmonary involvement in a healthy male who was successfully treated with surgical drainage of neck abscess followed by 9 months of an anti-tuberculosis drugs treatment.

Keywords

• tuberculosis
• scrofula
• lymphadenitis
• lymph nodes
• neck