We report a rare case of base of tongue tuberculosis following pulmonary tuberculosis. Patient presented to us with chief complaints of sore throat and pain on swallowing for period of 3 months. On examination with 70 degree telescope, we observed an ulcer on right side of base of tongue. The edges of the ulcer appeared to be undermined with whitish slough at the centre of the ulcer. Examination of neck showed a multiple small palpable middle deep cervical lymph nodes on right side of neck. Biopsy of the ulcer was taken, which showed granulomatous inflammation, suggestive of tuberculosis. Laboratory investigations revealed a raise in erythrocyte sedimentation rate, sputum for acid fast bacilli was strongly positive. Chest X ray was performed for patient showed multiple areas of consolidation. Patient was referred to chest clinic for further management of tuberculosis and was started on anti-tuberculous drugs. In conclusion tuberculosis of oral cavity is rare, but should be considered among one of the differential diagnosis of the oral lesions and biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
We reviewed biopsy records for 37 cases of oral histoplasmosis for patient characteristics, clinical features, and histopathologic findings. These represented cases diagnosed in the Division of Stomatology, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur between July 1967 and October 1994. All were male patients who ranged in age from 11 to 79 years (mean age, 56.7 years). There were 40.6% Malays, 37.8% Chinese, 18.9% Indians, and 2.7% other races. Five patients with mouth lesions as the initial presenting lesions were proven to be cases of disseminated histoplasmosis. In the remaining cases apart from the biopsy-proven oral histoplasmosis lesions, the extent of the disease elsewhere was unknown. The majority of these lesions involved the gingiva, tongue, and palate in decreasing order of frequency. The most frequent presenting symptom was oral mucosal ulceration. Squamous cell carcinoma and tuberculosis were the two most common clinical differential diagnoses. Our present findings compare favorably with published reports from other regions.