When the Treatment is the Cause: Disseminated Bacille Calmette-Guérin Infection

Ana Teresa Marques Afonso; Montserrat Rodríguez Framil; Joaquín Sánchez Leira; Néstor Vázquez Agra; Federico García-Rodeja Arias

doi:10.12890/2020_001697

When the Treatment is the Cause: Disseminated Bacille Calmette-Guérin Infection

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2020 Jun 3;7(9):001697. doi: 10.12890/2020_001697. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Ana Teresa Marques Afonso¹, Montserrat Rodríguez Framil¹, Joaquín Sánchez Leira¹, Néstor Vázquez Agra¹, Federico García-Rodeja Arias²

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine Department, University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
² Cardiology Department, University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.

Abstract

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) administration for superficial bladder cancer is a well-tolerated and very effective therapy. However, unpredictable systemic complications may occur on rare occasions. We present the case of a patient who attended for consultation because of fever, asthenia and weight loss following BCG immunotherapy. The clinical response to treatment and computed tomography scanning were key to diagnosis.

Learning points: It is essential to keep a high index of suspicion of possible, although uncommon, complications in patients treated with BCG immunotherapy.Response to treatment should always be evaluated to confirm diagnostic suspicion.

Keywords: BCG infection; hepatitis; miliary tuberculosis.