Tuberculosis of the head and neck in Finland.
CONCLUSIONS
Tuberculosis is a rare disease that can mimic a neck malignancy. It should be taken into consideration when evaluating a patient with a neck mass, especially when the patient has come from an area of high endemic incidence. Another risk group comprises older people with dormant tuberculosis.


OBJECTIVE
We wanted to find out the incidence of head and neck tuberculosis in Finland and to define the factors that should make one suspect it.


METHODS
This was a retrospective analysis of patients who were diagnosed with tuberculosis in the Department of Otolaryngology, Helsinki University Central Hospital (population base c.a. 1,000,000) during 1996-2005. All the patients with culture- or PCR-positive tuberculosis were included.


RESULTS
During 1996-2005, 63 patients were diagnosed with head and neck tuberculosis, the average incidence being 0.6/100,000 per year. The age of the patients varied between 3 and 94 years (mean 47 years). The mean age of patients who were of Finnish extraction (37 patients) was 62 years and that of immigrants (26 patients) was 27 years. Forty-four (70%) patients were female and 19 (30%) male. The majority of patients presented with a neck mass without symptoms of general infection such as fever or fatigue.
Nohrström
Elina
E
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Kentala
Erna
E
Kuusela
Pentti
P
Mattila
Petri S
PS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010038:Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*
D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D002097:C-Reactive Protein