# Isolated laryngeal tuberculosis complex infection: expect the unexpected

## TL;DR

A rare case of laryngeal tuberculosis in a non-endemic area is reported, highlighting the need for awareness even in patients without typical risk factors.

## Contribution

Presents an unusual case of isolated laryngeal tuberculosis in a non-traveler with sarcoidosis, emphasizing diagnostic considerations in non-endemic regions.

## Key findings

- Laryngeal tuberculosis was confirmed in a 59-year-old woman with no travel history to endemic areas.
- The patient responded well to standard antitubercular therapy.
- The case underscores the importance of considering tuberculosis in non-endemic areas, especially in immunocompromised individuals.

## Abstract

Laryngeal tuberculosis (LT), a rare but possible manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TBC) and the most frequent granulomatous disease of the larynx, is slowly resurfacing due to the worldwide recrudescence of TBC. We present the case of a 59 y-o Caucasian woman, non-smoker, with no history of recent travels in endemic areas, affected by pulmonary sarcoidosis, that presented with a symptomatic vegetating lesion involving the left free margin of the epiglottic and a small, ulcerated lesion over the right arytenoid mucosa. While the patient’s profile would not lead to a primary suspect of laryngeal TBC, the diagnostic workup and histological examination confirmed the unusual finding, and the patient was started on standard antitubercular therapy, with a complete laryngeal response. Although isolated laryngeal tuberculosis is still a rare finding, it should be kept into consideration also in non-endemic areas, especially in patients with chronic disease requiring immunosuppressive drugs.