Clinico-epidemiological profile of cutaneous tuberculids in a tertiary care hospital: A three-year case series

Cutaneous tuberculids are uncommon hypersensitivity manifestations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen that remain difficult to diagnose due to their varied clinical presentations and paucibacillary nature. This three-year case series evaluated the clinico-epidemiological characteristics, laboratory profile, histopathological findings, and treatment outcomes of 13 patients diagnosed with cutaneous tuberculids at a tertiary care hospital between January 2023 and December 2025. Women constituted the majority (69.2%), and erythema induratum of Bazin was the most frequent clinical subtype (46.2%), followed by erythema nodosum (30.8%). An extracutaneous tuberculous focus was identified in 46.2% of patients, while the interferon-gamma release assay was positive in 69.2%. Histopathological findings were consistent with the clinical diagnosis in all cases. All patients received standard antitubercular therapy, and complete clinical resolution was achieved in every patient, with treatment-related adverse events being manageable. These findings highlight regional differences in the clinical spectrum of cutaneous tuberculids, with erythema induratum of Bazin predominating in Southern parts of India rather than lichen scrofulosorum, as commonly reported from Northern India, emphasizing the importance of region-specific epidemiological data.