Alcohol-induced pain in tuberculous adenitis

Since its first description in Hodgkin's disease, alcohol-induced pain has subsequently been described both in other neoplasms and in various non-malignant conditions. There seems little doubt that ethyl alcohol itself is responsible, although the mechanism for producing pain remains elusive. We report a case of alcohol-induced pain in a patient with enlarged lymph nodes on the right side of the neck. This symptom led us to make a preliminary diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease, which was subsequently disproved by biopsy, and tuberculous adenitis was established. We have been able to find only one other record of alcohol-induced pain and tuberculous adenitis in a patient reported by Bastin in 1957.