Rhinoscleroma: eight Peruvian cases.
Rhinoscleroma is a rare infection in developed countries; although, it is reported with some frequency in poorer regions such as Central Africa, Central and South America, Eastern and Central Europe, Middle East, India and Indonesia. Nowadays, rhinoscleroma may be erroneously diagnosed as mucocutaneos leishmaniasis, leprosy, paracoccidioidomycosis, rhinosporidiasis, late syphilis, neoplasic diseases or other upper airway diseases. From 1996 to 2003, we diagnosed rhinoscleroma in eight patients attended in the Dermatologic and Transmitted Diseases service of "Cayetano Heredia" National Hospital, in Lima, Peru. The patients presented airway structural alterations producing nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal and, in one patient, laryngeal stenosis. Biopsy samples revealed large vacuolated macrophages (Mikulicz cells) in all patients. Ciprofloxacin 500 mg bid for four to 12 weeks was used in seven patients and oxytetracycline 500 mg qid for six weeks in one patient. After follow-up for six to 12 months the patients did not show active infection or relapse, however, all of them presented some degree of upper airway stenosis. These cases are reported because of the difficulty diagnosing the disease and the success of antibiotic treatment.
Maguiña
Ciro
C
Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Lima, Peru. cirom@upch.edu.pe
Cortez-Escalante
Juan
J
Osores-Plenge
Fernando
F
Centeno
Jorge
J
Guerra
Humberto
H
Montoya
Manuel
M
Cok
Jaime
J
Castro
Cleudson
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010118:Oxytetracycline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010568:Peru; D012226:Rhinoscleroma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D010118:Oxytetracycline