Nasopharyngeal Tuberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a well-known communicable infectious disease and can involve almost any organ of the body. Upper respiratory tract involvement is seen in only 1.9% and involvement of the nasopharynx is even rarer, accounting for only 0.1%. The occurrence of nasopharyngeal tuberculosis (NPTB) is very rare even in endemic areas. Herein, we report two cases of NPTB in which patients had the previous history of chronic ear infection; and later were found to have NPTB. Initial symptoms of NPTB can be vague and easily be misdiagnosed. The literature is scarce on NPTB. To the best of our knowledge, no such cases have ever been reported from Pakistan. Although the incidence of NPTB is very low since we live in a country where tuberculosis incidence is really high, its possibility should be kept in mind as one of the differential diagnoses. Key Words: Nasopharyngeal, Tuberculosis, Otitis media, Fungal, Infection.