[BCG-induced axillary lymph-adenitis in the adult]

Abstract

Axillary lymphadenopathy is very common, with a wide and well-known differential diagnosis. We present for the first time in the contemporary English medical literature the case of a 50-year-old woman with unilateral axillary lymph node enlargement due to BCG injection 2 months earlier. The difficulty in diagnosis is because BCG inoculation is rare in adults, and the latent period is long, up to 8 months. This was the cause of initial misdiagnosis. We conclude that unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy in adults travelling to third-world countries, should raise the question of BCG-induced lymphadenopathy.