Woman's swollen pinky finger was rare sign of tuberculosis, doctors say
A woman who received treatment for a swollen pinky at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center was discovered to be infected with the same bacteria that causes tuberculosis.
According a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine by UCSF doctors Jennifer Mandal and Mary Margaretten, a 42-year-old woman sought treatment after a week of swelling and discomfort in her left pinky finger.
The woman reported no injuries to her finger, and doctors found no issues with her bones after an X-ray and CT scan.
The doctors performed a biopsy of her skin tissue and discovered that she had been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the same bacteria that causes tuberculosis in the lungs.
Further tests showed the patient did not have the infection in her lungs or anywhere else in her body.
According to the doctors, the woman had lupus and was being treated with medications that weakened her immune system and made her more susceptible to the infection.
"Although infection of the finger is a rare extrapulmonary manifestation of tuberculosis, it is an important consideration in immunosuppressed patients," the doctors wrote.
The woman is believed to have been infected by her husband, who "received a diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis" after a trip to China.
She was treated with four antituberculosis drugs for nine months, and her symptoms completely subsided.