Korean J Med.
2010 Jul;79(1):87-91.
Breast tuberculosis mimicking breast abscess in a healthy woman
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 2Department of Internal Medicine, Chosun University College of Medicine, Gwangju, Korea. healthyra@chosun.ac.kr
Abstract
- Breast tuberculosis is a rare form of tuberculosis (TB). In healthy individuals in developed countries, the incidence is <0.1% of breast lesions examined histologically. The significance of breast TB is due to its rare occurrence and mistaken identity with breast cancer or pyogenic breast abscess. We report the case of an 18-year-old healthy woman diagnosed with breast TB that mimicked breast abscess. She was admitted for multiple erythema nodosum (EN) of the lower extremities of 6 weeks duration. She also noticed a painful oral ulcer and a palpable nodule with fistula on the right breast for 8 weeks. Our patient had the characteristic radiological and histopathological features of breast TB. Breast abscess and EN improved after antitubercular medication, including isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide.
