A man from South Asia presenting with abdominal pain

BMJ Case Rep. 2014 Feb 19:2014:bcr2013201716. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2013-201716.

Abstract

The diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis (TB) is challenging due to the non-specific clinical presentation and frequent failure to detect the pathogen. A young Bangladeshi man presented to the Emergency Outpatient department with constipation and burning abdominal pain that was localised primarily in the epigastrium. Although the infectious agent was not detected, findings of histological examination were helpful in guiding the treatment strategy. As a good clinical practice, it is important to consider abdominal TB as a possible diagnosis in such cases, particularly when a patient has previously been residing in a high TB burden country. Thus, appropriate diagnosis and early antituberculous therapy are essential for achieving a positive outcome.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Pain / etiology
  • Adult
  • Antitubercular Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bangladesh / ethnology
  • Emigrants and Immigrants*
  • Humans
  • Japan
  • Male
  • Multimodal Imaging
  • Peritonitis, Tuberculous / complications
  • Peritonitis, Tuberculous / diagnosis*
  • Peritonitis, Tuberculous / drug therapy
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Antitubercular Agents