CASE REPORT article
Front. Med.
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1521011
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative Tuberculosis Case Finding Interventions: Lessons From the FieldView all 18 articles
A Rare Case of Tuberculous Otitis Media Mimicking Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media: An Ongoing Challenge
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Tuberculosis, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China
- 3Department of General Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China
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Ear tuberculosis, a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, predominantly affects the middle ear. Common symptoms include otorrhea, hearing loss, and facial nerve paralysis, and if left untreated, it can lead to complete deafness. Diagnosing ear tuberculosis can be challenging, as its symptoms often overlap with those of otitis media, leading to potential misdiagnosed. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are essential for a favorable prognosis. Delayed diagnosis or inadequate treatment can result in severe complications, including irreversible hearing loss and chronic ear problems. Therefore, raising awareness among healthcare providers about the clinical features and diagnostic approach to ear tuberculosis is critical for improving patient outcomes. This paper presents the case of a 28-yearold patient with tuberculous otitis media, presenting with otorrhea, hearing loss, and facial paralysis. Additionally, a comprehensive literature review of 492 records published over the past decade in PubMed and the Web of Science database was conducted. Our study summarizes the clinical manifestations, diagnostic methods, and treatment strategies of 118 patients with ear tuberculosis, offering valuable insights to support early diagnosis and intervention, ultimately reducing the risk of adverse outcomes.
Keywords: Middle ear tuberculosis, Facial Paralysis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Hearing Loss, Otorrhea
Received: 01 Nov 2024; Accepted: 16 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shu, Taixian, Zhang, Huang, Xu and PENG. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jianyong Zhang, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, Guizhou Province, China
Zhangli PENG, Department of General Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, Guizhou Province, China
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