Abstract
Laryngeal tuberculosis (TB) was a common manifestation of TB in the early twentieth century, but now represents only 1% of all cases. Most modern case series of laryngeal TB originate outside the USA. We report a case of laryngeal TB from our institution and review other US cases published between 1970 and 2012. One hundred twenty-seven cases were identified. The mean patient age was 49 y and 28% were female. The mean duration of symptoms was 19 weeks. Dysphonia and weight loss were the most common manifestations, seen in 96% and 47% of cases, respectively. These symptoms were usually attributed to malignancy initially. Most cases involved the vocal cords. Eighty-six percent of cases had underlying pulmonary involvement. Mortality was 3%. In the USA, laryngeal TB is rarely suspected and often confused with malignancy. This infection should be considered in patients with unexplained dysphonia and weight loss.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 241-249 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases |
Volume | 46 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- Dysphonia
- Laryngeal tuberculosis
- Larynx
- Mycobacteria
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Immunology and Microbiology
- Microbiology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases