DISSEMINATED TUBERCULOSIS PRESENTING AS AN ACUTE ABDOMEN

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a widespread infection in developing countries like India. Tuberculosis is primarily a chronic condition but can present with acute and unusual manifestations. Disseminated tuberculosis is defined as having two or more non-contiguous sites resulting from lymphohematogenous dissemination of mycobacterium tuberculosis ex.: Miliary TB. Before COVID-19, tuberculosis was the worlds leading cause of death due to a single infectious agent. Especially in India because India accounts for one-quarter of the global burden and prevalence, the incidence rate of Latent TB Infection (LTBI) and active tuberculosis is 33% & 36% respectively in India which is quite high, therefore it is important to consider tuberculosis as an etiological agent if symptom indicates and subsequent work up consideration. Here we are reporting a rare presentation of disseminated tuberculosis in an emergency department at a tertiary care center with sub-acute intestinal obstruction to emphasize the importance of clinical examination and history to evaluate for the cause, for the management of patients even in acute settings like emergency.