Primary tuberculous glossitis in an immunocompetent patient

Prem P Gupta, Sanjay Fotedar, Dipti Agarwal, Pradeep Sansanwal
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, India

Tuberculous glossitis is a rare entity that has been described sporadically. Primary tuberculous glossitis, as described in this case report, is still exceptional. A 25-year-old male with no known immunosuppressive disorder presented with a tuberculoma at the base of his tongue. This was confirmed by tongue biopsy and a positive polymerase chain reaction response to the mycobacterium. The patient had a favourable response to anti-tubercular treatment. This highlights the importance of considering tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of chronic tongue lesions, even in the absence of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Hong Kong Med J 2007;13:330-1

Key words: Antitubercular agents; Glossitis; Polymerase chain reaction; Tuberculosis