Nasal tuberculosis in the 20th century

Abstract

During the last decade, tuberculosis has reemerged as a major health problem in the United States. Much of the blame for this resurgence has been attributed to human immunodeficiency virus infection, although homelessness and deterioration of the social infrastructure have also been implicated. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis is uncommon, and nasal tuberculosis is rare. The latter usually manifests as nasal obstruction or discharge. Only 35 cases of nasal tuberculosis were identified in a search of the English-language medical literature from the last 95 years. They are reviewed here. In addition, we describe a new manifestation of nasal tuberculosis, exemplifying the variety of ways in which this may occur.