Practical Review of Diagnosis and Management of Cutaneous Tuberculosis in Indonesia

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a life-threatening infectious disease that remains a high incidence worldwide. The classification of tuberculosis can be divided into two forms, i.e., pulmonary and extrapulmonary.  The pathogenesis of tuberculosis depends on the cell-mediated immunity of the host. One of the variants of extrapulmonary tuberculosis is cutaneous tuberculosis, that commonly found in Indonesia. Based on the bacterial load, cutaneous tuberculosis is divided into two types, multibacillary and paucibacillary tuberculosis. Diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis often requires specific investigations, such as histopathology, Ziehl-Neelsen staining, Interferon-Gamma Release Assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay serology, and Polymerase Chain Reaction. The treatment principle for cutaneous tuberculosis is the same as the treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis, which consists of an intensive and maintenance phase.