Silicosis is a granulomatous disease affecting lungs in people exposed to silica particles, however it has never been described affecting the nasal mucosa. The authors report a case of a 46-years-old female patient, with a saddle deformity in the K area of the nasal dorsum associated to bloody rhinorrea, and developing a septal perforation. The nasal mucosa revealing a granulous aspect where a biopsy was performed, that showed silica cristals and linfoplasmocitary inflammatory process. The patient denied contact with silica cristals. After three years without symptoms, crusting in nasal cavity or alteration of the aspect of the nasal pyramid, a rhinoplasty was performed. This case raises doubts about the pathogenesis of silicosis in airway cavities other than the lungs.
silica; silicosis; pneumoconioses; septal perforation; nasal granulomatous disease; rhinitis
