Tuberculous dactylitis in the setting of low serum vitamin D: a case report.

Abstract

We present the case of a previously well patient who presented to the Emergency Department of a Dublin hospital with a tuberculous infection of his dominant index finger and a very low serum vitamin D level--this has been implicated in both primary and reactivation infections with Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. This case highlights and reviews both the importance of considering non-endemic pathologies in the setting of a patient base of diverse ethnicity, and the emerging importance of vitamin D in the immune response to M. tuberculosis infection. We discuss the relevant literature to highlight the background of this disease process, and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to these patients.

• Authors: K C Cahill, F J Conroy, A Brown, R L E Dunlop, P Eadie, J Keane
• Journal: Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS (J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg) Vol. 64 Issue 12 Pg. e321-4 (Dec 2011) ISSN: 1878-0539 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 21621496 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Vitamin D

Topics

• Adult
• Humans
• Male
• Osteomyelitis (drug therapy, microbiology)
• Radiography
• Tuberculosis, Osteoarticular (blood, diagnostic imaging, immunology)
• Vitamin D (blood, immunology)
• Vitamin D Deficiency (immunology)