Eight cases of nasal tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the clinical characteristics of nasal tuberculosis and to discuss its diagnostic difficulties.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective clinical analysis.

RESULTS: A total of eight patients presented with nasal tuberculosis during the study period (from January 1989 through December 2006). Six were female and two were male. The patient age varied from 17 to 51 years, with a mean of 31 years. The most commonly involved site was the nasal septum (7 of 8). Perforation of the nasal septum was observed in three cases. Sinus invasion was observed in two cases and required sinus surgery. Six of the cases were a result of primary infections, while two were secondary disease manifestations. All patients were treated with anti-tuberculosis medications, with subsequent improvement with regard to clinical symptoms and physical signs.

CONCLUSIONS: We present the largest number of nasal tuberculosis cases reported in the medical literature from a single institute. Diagnosing nasal tuberculosis requires a high index of suspicion and occasionally the use of experimental drug treatment options.