Recurrent erythema nodosum associated with tuberculosis in a 49-year-old female: A case report

Gajjala S, Ediga G, Veeravalli SCM

Pdf Page Numbers :- 87-90

Sankeerthana Gajjala^1,*, Gunasree Ediga¹ and Sarath Chandra Mouli Veeravalli¹

¹Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Minister Road, Secunderabad-500003, Telangana, India

*Corresponding author: Gajjala Sankeerthana, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Minister Road, Secunderabad-500003, Telangana, India Email: sankeerthanagajjala.13@gmail.com

Received 30 December 2026; Revised 26 February 2026; Accepted 5 March 2026; Published 18 March 2026

Citation: Gajjala S, Ediga G, Veeravalli SCM. Recurrent erythema nodosum associated with tuberculosis in a 49-year-old female: A case report. J Med Sci Res. 2026; 14(2):87-90. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17727/JMSR.2026/14-17

Copyright: © 2026 Gajjala S et al. Published by KIMS Foundation and Research Center. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Abstract

Erythema nodosum (EN) is a common panniculitis that may be associated with infections, including tuberculosis (TB). Diagnosis of TB-associated EN can be challenging due to nonspecific clinical features. We report a 49-year-old woman with recurrent painful lower-limb nodules for six years, highlighting the importance of comprehensive evaluation in identifying underlying TB as the cause. Further investigations revealed elevated inflammatory markers, a strongly positive Mantoux test, and computed tomography findings suggestive of tuberculosis. Histopathological examination demonstrated granulomatous inflammation consistent with TB-associated erythema nodosum. The patient showed significant clinical improvement following antituberculosis therapy. This case underscores the importance of considering tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of erythema nodosum, particularly in endemic regions and in patients presenting with recurrent skin nodules and nonspecific systemic manifestations.

Keywords: tuberculosis; erythema nodosum; panniculitis; skin nodules; granulomatous inflammation; delayed-type hypersensitivity