Abdominal tuberculosis in Cairo, Egypt

• Published in: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 88; no. 3; pp. 317 - 318
• Main Authors: Hibbs, Richard G., Kamal, M., Farid, Z.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.05.1994; Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Cecal Diseases - complications; Cecal Diseases - diagnosis; Cecal Diseases - epidemiology; Child; Egypt - epidemiology; Female; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Ileal Diseases - complications; Ileal Diseases - diagnosis; Ileal Diseases - epidemiology; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Tropical medicine; Tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infections; Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal - complications; Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal - diagnosis; Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal - epidemiology; Africa; Egypt; Infection; Human; Symptomatology; Tuberculosis; Abdominal disease; Bacteriosis; Mycobacterial infection; Diagnosis; Abdomen
• ISSN: 0035-9203; 1878-3503
• DOI: 10.1016/0035-9203(94)90099-X

Twenty-two abdominal tuberculosis patients seen at Abbassia Fever Hospital in Cairo, Egypt from January 1990 to August 1992 are described; their mean age was 21·5 years, range 9–54 years; 17 were female. Common symptoms were fever, malaise, abdominal pain (64%) and weight loss (82%). Chest X-rays were normal in 14 patients (64%), but ultrasonography/computerized tomography of the abdomen was abnormal in 20 patients (91%), with adenopathy the usual finding. Anaemia and a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate were present in all patients, and purified protein derivative skin test (5 Tu) was positive in 82%. Predominant abnormal physical findings were abdominal (86%), including hepatomegaly/splenomegaly and abdominal mass. Diagnosis was made from biopsy material (caseating granulomas) in 6 patients by laparotomy, 1 by laparoscopy, and 3 by cervical or supraclavicular node biopsy; and from laboratory examination of excretions in only 4 patients (acid-fast bacilli in stools of 2, mycobacteria in urine and menstrual fluid). Eight patients required presumptive diagnosis after response to specific isoniazid (+ethambutol) antituberculous therapy.