Scrofula Caused by Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Bárbara Pedro; Liliana Alves; Rita Magano; Tomás Nunes; Nuno Marques

doi:10.12890/2020_001390

Scrofula Caused by Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2020 Jan 2;7(1):001390. doi: 10.12890/2020_001390. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Bárbara Pedro¹, Liliana Alves², Rita Magano², Tomás Nunes², Nuno Marques²

Affiliations

¹ Serviço de Medicina II, Hospital Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal.
² Serviço de Infecciologia, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal.

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) occurs when at the minimum there is resistance to isoniazid and rifampin. Prevention of new infections of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and progression to TB disease is critical to reduce the burden and mortality of this disease. We present the case of a 73-year-old human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative female who presented with cervical lymphadenopathy and who was diagnosed with MDR-TB.

Learning points: Tuberculosis is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and approximately a quarter of the world's population is estimated to be latently infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis lymphadenitis is a rare manifestation of the disease in Portugal.With the advent of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, disease surveillance by the government should be intensified, with the aim of national and global TB control, focusing on prevention.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; lymphadenitis; multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; scrofula.