Tuberculous subcutaneous abscesses developing during miliary tuberculosis therapy.

Although rare, paradoxical subcutaneous abscesses may develop during appropriate treatment of miliary tuberculosis. While the pathogenesis of this phenomenon is not clear, some theories have been postulated. A case of a 37-y-old woman diagnosed as having miliary tuberculosis who developed subcutaneous abscesses within the 5 months of antituberculous treatment is described and all 6 similar cases published in English from 1954 to 1999 are discussed.