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Scrofula and Other Tuberculous Infections of the Head and Neck

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Infections of the Ears, Nose, Throat, and Sinuses

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Abstract

With improvement in economic and social conditions and the use of effective anti-tuberculous therapy, the developed nations and most developing nations have enjoyed a decline in tuberculosis (TB) for several decades. However, over ten million cases of TB are reported annually and TB continues to kill nearly two million people each year. Extrapulmonary TB comprises 15–30% of new TB cases, and tuberculous lymphadenitis is an important manifestation. Tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis, or scrofula, accounts for at least 70% of TB cases involving the head and neck. The majority of cases occur without systemic symptoms or concurrent pulmonary TB. In addition to cervical lymphadenitis, tuberculosis can produce isolated disease in the oral cavity, ear, salivary glands, mandible, nose, and larynx. These infections can have various manifestations and it is important for the clinician to recognize and diagnose head and neck TB promptly. This chapter reviews the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of various tuberculous infections in the head and neck.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, Medwin Medical Center, Dubai, UAE

    Kishore Chandra Prasad

  2. Department of Otology & Skull Base Surgery, Gruppo Otologico, Rome, Italy

    Sampath Chandra Prasad

  3. Gruppo Otologico, Casa Di Cura Piacenza Privata SPA, Piacenza, Italy

    Sampath Chandra Prasad

  4. Department of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, LLH Hospital, Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Yeshwanth Chakravarthy

  5. Department of Radiodiagnosis, Casa Di Cura Piacenza SPA, Piacenza, Italy

    Pallavi Rao

  6. Department of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, Universal Hospital, Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Nikhil Thada

  7. Department of Dental Surgery, Universal Hospital, Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Smitha Rani

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  1. Kishore Chandra Prasad
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  2. Sampath Chandra Prasad
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  3. Yeshwanth Chakravarthy
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  4. Pallavi Rao
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  5. Nikhil Thada
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  6. Smitha Rani
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Marlene L. Durand

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Daniel G. Deschler

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Prasad, K.C., Prasad, S.C., Chakravarthy, Y., Rao, P., Thada, N., Rani, S. (2018). Scrofula and Other Tuberculous Infections of the Head and Neck. In: Durand, M., Deschler, D. (eds) Infections of the Ears, Nose, Throat, and Sinuses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74835-1_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74835-1_25

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