RHINOSCLEROMA is commonly reported in medical literature from areas in which the disease is endemic, but it is rare in North America. Only 162 cases have been reported from this area.4,6,9,10 Forty five of these patients with rhinoscleroma were native born. In the case being reported, a diagnosis of rhinoscleroma was made 13 years after the onset of symptoms in a native of Pennsylvania whose lesions had been biopsied repeatedly. Awareness of the manifestations of this disease is a necessity in making an early diagnosis.
Report of a Case
This patient is a 40-year-old white male native American of Polish parentage, the seventh of nine children born into impoverished circumstances. He worked as a farm laborer and coal miner until he entered the army in 1943. Of his three years in the service, he was stationed in western Europe (England, France, and Germany) for one year. He denied being