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Case of lupus vulgaris diagnosed 50 years after onset
Author(s) -
UTTAWICHAI Pattanawadee,
IGARASHI Tsukasa,
KAWANA Seiji
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1346-8138
pISSN - 0385-2407
DOI - 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2009.00598.x
Subject(s) - lupus vulgaris , systemic lupus erythematosus , medicine , dermatology , pathology , disease , tuberculosis
Cutaneous tuberculosis is an infrequent form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, but is a symptom that can lead to diagnosis of tuberculosis. We describe a case of lupus vulgaris in a 79‐year‐old woman who had a 50‐year history of a slowly growing plaque on her right cheek. She visited many hospitals without resolution and the plaque gradually enlarged. Recently, she was misdiagnosed with eczema and prescribed topical steroids that had no effect, and she subsequently visited our outpatient clinic. A diagnosis of lupus vulgaris was made based on histopathology, culture and polymerase chain reaction, and isoniazid, rifampicin and ethambutol were administered as antituberculosis treatment. Although the incidence of cutaneous tuberculosis has decreased significantly in developed countries, knowledge and awareness of the disease are still of importance for proper diagnosis and treatment.