Tuberculosis of the ear, a professional disease?

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a rare cause of chronic suppurative otitis media and mastoiditis; the predisposing factors of this association, however, are not commonly described. There has been an alarming increase in the incidence of tuberculosis in Brazil, including tuberculous otitis media. These patients typically present multiple perforations of the tympanic membrane, an ear discharge, and progressive hearing loss. This diagnosis should be taken into account in patients that do not respond to routine therapy for fungal external otitis or bacterial otitis media. In this retrospective study, the authors describe four cases of patients with tuberculous otitis media. This sample consisted of two physicians, a chemical engineer and an underage child in whose family there were cases of active tuberculosis. Predisposing factors for tuberculous otitis were contact with family members that had tuberculosis, professional contact with patients and exposure to pathogenic microorganisms in airways.

Chronic Tuberculous Otomastoiditis: A Case Report

“…CT imaging studies could detect inflammatory tissue within the tympanic cavity and mastoid cells with or without bone erosion, and in chronic infection, they may identify ossicular resorption and mastoid sclerosis. Similar findings, however, may be detected with chronic otitis and cholesteatoma [6] . As all these noninvasive diagnostic tools are nonspecific, Hz dB the surgical exploration of the tympanic cavity and mastoid cells is mandatory [6,7] .…”

“…Similar findings, however, may be detected with chronic otitis and cholesteatoma [6] . As all these noninvasive diagnostic tools are nonspecific, Hz dB the surgical exploration of the tympanic cavity and mastoid cells is mandatory [6,7] . Canal wall up tympanoplasty is useful for removing the necrotic bone and granulation tissue and collecting analytical samples.…”

“…This infection is more frequent in women (1.36-fold) than in men, in medical doctors and paramedics (4.3-fold) than in the general population, and in people near affected patients or carriers [4,5] . Infection frequently reaches the tympanic cavity via the external auditory canal, or through rhinopharyngeal inspiration via the Eustachian tube, or hematogenous spread (79%) [6] .…”

Tuberculous otitis media and staphylococcus aureus coinfection in a five-year-old boy with miliary tuberculosis

“…was described earlier in a ten-year-old boy with miliary tuberculosis who had presented with otorrhoea for four months. [3] It has also been described in infections of the spine and brain. [45] A report of miliary tuberculosis after staphylococcal pneumonia was also described in a five-year-old boy whose sputum was found to be positive for AFB.…”

A Case Report of Occupational Middle Ear Tuberculosis in a Nurse

“…According to Croatian law, treatment of occupational diseases and sick leave are fully covered, but the diagnosis by occupational physician has to be confi rmed by a relevant authority, in this case the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance of Health Protection at Work. Sens et al (14), however, express doubts about claiming a disease occupational, as certain categories of patients such as children and the unemployed preclude occupational exposure. Assessment should therefore be limited to the occupationally exposed population such as medical practitioners and healthcare workers who get ill (15).…”