Cutaneous tuberculosis: a case report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v40i6.13706Keywords:
Cutaneous tuberculosis, Furuncles, Necrotizing granulomatous dermatosis, TuberculosisAbstract
Introduction: Cutaneous tuberculosis results from a chronic infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its clinical presentation depends on various factors, such as the location of the infection and the host’s immunity state.
Case description: We describe the case of a 58-year-old woman, born in Angola, who came to a primary care consultation with oedema, heat, and redness of the first finger of the hand, which was assumed to be a paronychia. Subsequently, the complaints continued with the intermittent appearance of furuncles, progressively growing in number. The patient was referred to dermatology, where a biopsy was made, which revealed a necrotizing granulomatous dermatosis. Considering this, an IGRA was performed, with a positive result.
Comment: The diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis requires a high level of suspicion by the physician. In this context, it is important to draw attention to this clinical form of tuberculosis infection, so that these cases do not go undiagnosed, untreated, and unnotified.
Downloads
References
1. Hill MK, Sanders CV. Cutaneous tuberculosis. Microbiol Spectr. 2017;5(1).
2. Direção-Geral da Saúde. Relatório de vigilância e monitorização da tuberculose em Portugal: dados definitivos 2020. Lisboa: DGS; 2021.
3. Azendour H, Meziane M, Znati K, Benzekri L, Senouci K. A polymorphous cutaneous tuberculosis. Int J Mycobacteriol. 2021;10(1):85-8.
4. Brito AC, Oliveira CM, Unger DA, Bittencourt MJ. Cutaneous tuberculosis: epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic update. An Bras Dermatol. 2022;97(2):129-44.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Portuguese Journal of Family Medicine and General Practice
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The authors will assign to the RPMGF the sole right to publish and distribute the content of the manuscript specified in this declaration via physical, electronic, broadcasting or any other medium that may come into existence. They also grant the RPMGF the right to use and exploit this manuscript, in particular by assigning, selling or licensing its content. This permission is permanent and takes effect from the moment the manuscript is submitted, has the maximum duration allowed by applicable Portuguese or international law and is of worldwide scope. The authors further declare that this assignment is made free of charge. If the RPMGF informs the authors that it is not going to publish their manuscript, the exclusive assignment of rights ceases forthwith.
The authors authorise the RPMGF (or any entity it may appoint) to act on their behalf when it believes that copyright may have been infringed.
