A Clinico-Epidemiological Study on Cutaneous Tuberculosis in a Tertiary Care Hospital in the Era of Decreased Incidence.

Background: Cutaneous tuberculosis is an important infectious public health problem in India. The incidence has dropped from 2% to 0.1%, making it a rare finding in clinical settings. Due to paucibacillary character of this illness and its resemblance to other dermatoses, making it challenging to diagnose. The present study was done to report the various clinical types of cutaneous tuberculosis. Material and Methods: All the clinically suspected cases of cutaneous tuberculosis attending the dermatology OPD of our tertiary care hospital during a period of one year (May 2022 to May 2023) were enrolled in the study. They were subjected to routine blood tests, Chest X-ray, HIV, Mantoux test and skin biopsy done for confirmation. Results: During a study period of 12 months, a total of 25 patients were diagnosed as cutaneous tuberculosis. Male to Female ratio was 1.3:1. Commonest type was Lupus vulgaris (48%) followed by Scrofuloderma (20%), Tuberculosis verrucosa cutis (8%), Erythema nodosum (8%), Papulonecrotic tuberculid (8%), Erythema induratum of Bazin (4%), Lichen scrofulosorum (4%). In this study most cases are middle aged adults, the youngest was 13-year-old girl, oldest was 70-year-old male. Commonest site were limbs followed by trunk. One patient had pulmonary tuberculosis. All patients were responded to standard antitubercular treatment. Conclusion: Cutaneous tuberculosis remains an important medical problem despite the development of extremely potent anti-tuberculous medications. This case study demonstrates the importance of diagnosing a case of cutaneous tuberculosis in patients presenting with a suspicious skin lesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]