title: A clinic-epidemiological study of head and neck tuberculosis - a single-center experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) accounts for less than 6% of all tuberculosis (TB) cases in Poland, although in other countries (European in particular) this proportion is much higher. The study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological differences in patients hospitalized in one of Otolaryngology Departments in Poland during 36 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a retrospective study, 71 patients were identified and divided into three groups according to the study period: I - 1978-1989 (30 patients, 42%), II - 1990-2001 (19 patients, 27%) and III - 2002-2013 (22 patients, 31% of all cases). In each case histological examination of biopsy specimens was available.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Larynx TB (54.9%) was most common, followed by cervical lymph nodes TB (29.6%) and auris TB (8.5%). In laryngeal TB, glottic region was most often affected (76.9%). Patients with larynx TB were mainly men (87.2%), 10 years older than women in each study period. However, in lymph nodes TB group, women constituted 66.7% of cases and were twice as old as men (64.0 vs. 34.7 yrs). Bacteriological confirmation was made in only one patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of patients diagnosed in our center declined in the first period of 12 years and remained stable over the last 24 years, as were the common sites of head and neck EPTB (larynx and cervical lymph nodes). In patients with head and neck TB the biopsy specimens should be examined not only histologically but also for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Medical University of Lodz, Poland. anna.pajor@umed.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pajor
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Józefowicz-Korczyńska
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korzeniewska-Koseła
authors.forename: Sylwia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kwiatkowska
keywords: auris; extrapulmonary tuberculosis; larynx; lymph nodes; neck