Erythema Nodosum: A Consequence of Tuberculosis

Clinico-Laboratory Profile of Tuberculides: An Experience at a Tertiary Care Centre from Chandigarh, India

Background

Tuberculides are characterised by delayed-type of immunologic reactions to Mycobacterium tuberculosis or its products in immuno-competent individuals. We herein describe clinico-epidemiological features and response to treatment in patients with tuberculides from a tertiary care centre from North India.

Methods

This was a retrospective analysis of the clinical records of all the cutaneous tuberculosis (TB) patients (year 2000-2019) enrolled in the TB clinic. The patient records fulfilling the diagnostic criteria of tuberculides were considered for analysis.

Results

A total of 225 patients attended the tuberculosis clinic; out of this, 34 were diagnosed as tuberculides. Out of these 34 cases, 21 were identified as LS, 2 erythema induratum of Bazin, 1 papulonecrotic tuberculide, and 10 erythema nodosum. History of contact to open cases of TB was present in 15/34 (44.1%) patients. History of BCG vaccination was found in 15/34 (44.1%) patients. The focus of underlying TB could be identified in 20/34 (58.8%) patients. Skin biopsy was performed in all patients. In all patients, the diagnosis was confirmed by clinico-pathological correlation, positive TST, and the underlying focus of TB. All patients received 6 months regimen of anti-tubercular therapy with first-line drugs.

Conclusion

In this study, we demonstrated various forms of tuberculides; lichen scrofulosorum was the most common form. We also included erythema nodosum cases also, which responded well to ATT. Observation from our study showed that tuberculides are important cutaneous markers for underlying tuberculosis infection, which helps in early detection of occult tuberculosis and timely management.

Tuberculids: A Narrative Review

Tuberculids are a group of dermatoses with tuberculoid histology and the absence of tubercle bacilli. They are considered to be hypersensitivity reactions to circulating Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) or its antigens in individuals with good immunity. The objective of the review is to provide a detailed literature review of all available articles on tuberculids in the past 10 years and provide an update on epidemiology, etiopathogenetic mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and treatment. A search was performed on PubMed using the keywords lichen scrofulosorum, papulonecrotic tuberculid, erythema induratum, and erythema nodosum tuberculosis for all articles, with no restrictions on age, gender, or nationalities. An update on tuberculids, including some new concepts in pathogenesis, atypical presentations, new investigative modalities, and treatments are reviewed.

Erythema Nodosum: A Manifestation of Salmonella Infection

Erythema nodosum is a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction with an unknown trigger in the majority of cases. It is characterized by the development of erythematous tender nodules on the shins. Septal panniculitis without vasculitis is a characteristic histopathological finding. We report the case of a 26-year-old woman who presented with a four-day history of an erythematous swollen left lower limb. She was treated with intravenous clindamycin for suspected cellulitis. However, her symptoms persisted. Punch biopsy revealed findings consistent with erythema nodosum. Two days later, she developed colicky abdominal pain associated with non-bloody diarrhea. Stool culture yielded Salmonella enterica serotype enteritidis. Two days after discharge, she presented again with a right breast abscess for which she underwent incision and drainage along with antibiotic therapy. After discharge, she was symptom-free with complete resolution of the cutaneous lesions. The presented case is unique as it had multiple clinical manifestations of Salmonella infection including erythema nodosum, diarrhea, and presumably a breast abscess. It should be kept in mind that gastrointestinal symptoms are not necessarily the initial presentations of Salmonella infection.