Tuberculosis pulmonar y lingual. Presentación de un caso A Case Report of Pulmonary and Lingual Tuberculosis

Objective: The objective of this study is to present a rare case of secondary lingual tuberculosis (TB). This was the fi rst reported occurrence of this disease in the hospital and in the province in 50 years. Case report: A 69 year old male patient who had been hospitalized twice because of bacterial pneumonia acquired in the community was admitted to the hospital. For three weeks prior to admission the patient had suffered fever, dry irritating coughing, constitutional symptoms, 0.5 to 1.0 cm nodular lesions on the dorsum of the tongue, and canker sores at the base of the tongue. As a result the patient had been unable to eat. Two acid fast bacilli (AFB) smears both showed a rating of 9. Tuberculosis testing, x-rays and histology confi rmed the diagnosis. Tuberculosis treatment was begun. After two months the nodules disappeared. The patient remained asymptomatic and continues to be monitored on an outpatient basis. Conclusions: TB of the tongue is a rare fi nding that should be included in the differential diagnosis of diseases of the oral cavity. This case demonstrates the importance of continued vigilance of this entity in medical and dental practice.