Primary sinonasal tuberculosis in north-west Pakistan.
OBJECTIVE
To record the frequency of primary involvement of nose and paranasal sinuses with tuberculosis in today's situation in the north-west region of Pakistan.


METHODS
An observational study.


METHODS
The Department of ENT and Head and Neck Surgery, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar from 1986 to 1996.


METHODS
A total of ten cases of primary sinonasal tuberculosis were included. The inclusion criteria were biopsy and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) examination after Ziel Neelsen (ZN) staining. Patients were put on anti-tuberculous chemotherapy. Response to the therapy and compliance of the patients were studied through follow up. Patients were admitted and offered surgical treatment wherever needed.


RESULTS
The primary sinonasal tuberculosis affected mainly young adults (18-60 years), both genders almost equally. Majority (80%) of the patients belonged to far-flung rural areas and all (100%) were poor. More frequent presenting features were granular lesion and mass in the nose (40%), epistaxis (30%), septal perforation (30%), external deformity (30%), palpable cervical lymph nodes (30%) and others. All the cases were diagnosed microscopically. Compliance to treatment was not good.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of primary tuberculosis of nose and paranasal sinuses has risen in the recent past. The patients manifested no evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Nawaz
Ghareeb
G
Department of ENT, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. ghareebnawaz@hotmail.com
Khan
Muhammad Rafiq
MR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*