Tuberculous Addison's disease with increased hydrocortisone requirements due to administration of rifampicin.

A 58-year-old man was referred to our hospital for darkened skin, general fatigue and weight loss. His adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol levels indicated a primary adrenal insufficiency. 18Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT showed bilateral enlargement of the adrenal glands, with 18fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification assays of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis The patient was diagnosed with tuberculous Addison's disease and treated with antituberculosis agents, including rifampicin. The patient's fatigue worsened gradually after initiation of rifampicin, and the dosage of hydrocortisone was increased. Serum cortisol level monitoring at 2 hours after administration of hydrocortisone was shown to be clinically useful for determining the optimal dose, especially with concurrent use of rifampicin.

Tuberculous Adrenal Abscess Presenting as Adrenal Insufficiency in a 4-Year-Old Boy.

We describe the case of a 4.8-year-old boy who presented with adrenal crisis. The advent of symptoms of adrenal insufficiency in the patient was at around 2 years of age. Congenital causes of adrenal insufficiency were considered over acquired etiologies owing to early onset of symptoms. However, on evaluation, he was found to have left adrenal abscess of tuberculous etiology. The aspirate culture grew multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. He was initiated on glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement, along with second-line antitubercular therapy. Unique features of our case were early presentation, primary adrenal TB causing adrenal insufficiency, unilateral involvement with adrenal abscess localization, no identifiable extra-adrenal site of tubercular dissemination and resistance to first-line TB drugs.

Hyperthyroidism due to involvement of thyroid gland in disseminated tuberculosis: A rare entity.

Involvement of the thyroid gland with tuberculosis (TB) is unusual and is commonly associated with hypothyroidism. Involvement of the thyroid as a part of disseminated TB is even rarer. Dissemination is an indication of immunosuppression. We present a 16-year-old immunocompetent girl with disseminated TB involving the thyroid gland and the right radius bone with features of hyperthyroidism. The patient responded well to anti-TB treatment.

[Bilateral adrenal tuberculosis: about a case]. / Tuberculose surrénalienne bilatérale: à propos d'un cas.

Isolated adrenal tuberculosis accounts for less than 2% of adrenal incidentalomas. This is the most frequent infectious cause of adrenal insufficiencies. We report the case of a 53-year old patient with no previous medical history presenting with adrenal insufficiency with slow progression over six months. Physical examination didn't show any mass or hepatosplenomegaly. Blood pressure was 120/60 mmHg. Laboratory tests didn't show inflammatory syndrome. LDH level was normal. CT scan showed bilateral hypertrophy of the adrenal glands characterized by calcifications. Intradermo tuberculin reaction was positive at 25mm. The analyses to detect Koch's bacillus in the sputum and in the urine were negative. Quantiferon® test was positive. Trial antibacillar treatment was started with clinical improvement and 5kg weight gain in 12 months. Hormonal assays were low.

Primary tuberculosis of the thyroid gland: an unexpected cause of thyrotoxicosis.

We describe a 38-year-old Indian man who presented with a 2-week history of fever, night sweats and neck swelling who was found to be clinically thyrotoxic with a nodular goitre, tachycardia and high fever. Biochemical investigation revealed hyperthyroidism in association with deranged liver function tests and raised inflammatory markers. Ultrasound and CT scans of the neck revealed multinodular thyroid enlargement. He was considered most likely to have an acute infectious thyroiditis with a differential diagnosis of a toxic multinodular goitre and was started on carbimazole and antibiotics. He underwent fine needle aspiration of the thyroid which revealed necrotic cells and acid-fast bacilli, confirming a diagnosis of primary tuberculosis (TB) of the thyroid gland with no evidence of any other organ involvement on systemic imaging. He was started on TB therapy for 6 months and discharged with outpatient follow-up. Symptoms and biochemical markers subsequently resolved.

[Unilateral adrenal tuberculosis: a case report].

Computed tomography (CT) performed for a 75-year-old man as a follow-up examination for deep vein thrombosis in October 2010 revealed a left adrenal mass (diameter, 8 mm). In December 2012, the adrenal mass increased to 28 mm in diameter, and he was referred to our department. Several blood examinations revealed that the adrenal mass was non-functioning, and only peripheral lesions were observed to be enhanced by using CT in the arterial phase. Malignancy was suspected due to the irregular shape and growth of the mass, and left adrenalectomy was performed in February 2013. The histopathological diagnosis was adrenal mycobacteriosis, and clinical diagnosis was adrenal tuberculosis. No other tuberculosis infection-related lesion was detected, and the patient was treated with multidrug antituberculous chemotherapy.

Association of tuberculous thyroiditis and papillary carcinoma of the thyroid: a rare coincidence.

We report the case of a 25 year-old patient with no medical history, admitted to our unit for nodular goiter of the right lobe without clinical or laboratory signs of hyperthyroidism. We carried out a right lobo-isthmectomy revealing the association of tuberculosis and thyroid papillary carcinoma. A left lobectomy has, therefore, been performed in a second stage. The patient underwent a six-month antituberculosis treatment with a good clinical outcome. We discuss this rare association and its best diagnostic and therapeutic support, with a review of the literature.

Tubercular thyroid abscess.

We encountered a patient who presented with neck swelling, difficulty in swallowing, voice change along with systemic features such as evening rise of temperature, chronic cough and weight loss. Ultrasonography of the thyroid gland revealed two cystic swellings. An ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration cytology was suggestive of tubercular abscess. The patient responded well to antigravity aspiration of the swellings and antitubercular treatment.

Thyroid tuberculosis with abnormal thyroid function--case report and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: To report an extremely rare case of thyroid tuberculosis (TT) with abnormal thyroid function and to review the related literature. METHODS: We present the patient's history, clinical findings, laboratory test results, imaging examinations, cytological data, management, and follow-up. In addition, we perform a review of the previously published cases of TT and give special attention to those with hypothyroidism. RESULTS: A 45-year-old Indian man presented to the outpatient clinic with neck swelling and respiratory and constitutional symptoms. Cervical ultrasound revealed a thyroid nodule and a necrotic right cervical adenopathy. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was performed and purulent material was removed from thyroid and lymph node. In both specimens, the culture was positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, and a cytological examination revealed epithelioid cell granulomas and necrosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was also identified by sputum culture. Antibiotic testing revealed sensitivity to all first-line drugs. A diagnosis of disseminated tuberculosis with thyroid and cervical lymph node involvement was made. Thyroid function was consistent with subclinical hyperthyroidism that subsequently evolved to hypothyroidism, requiring thyroid hormone replacement, and reflected tuberculous thyroiditis. Anti-tuberculosis drugs were started with good therapeutic response. CONCLUSION: TT is a rare condition and its association with thyroid function abnormalities is even rarer. To our knowledge this is the third report of hypothyroidism related to TT and the first to identify a period of hyperthyroidism preceding hypothyroidism. Despite its rarity, TT should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neck mass. FNAC is a useful procedure and thyroid function should be monitored.

Addison's disease presenting with muscle spasm.

Primary hypoadrenalism has various causes and protean manifestation. We report a young female patient who presented with severe muscle spasm as her primary complaint. On evaluation she was found to be a case of Addison's disease secondary to adrenal tuberculosis. Her muscle spasm disappeared rapidly with replacement dose of glucocorticoid.

[Tuberculosis of the pancreas: an unsuspected cause of abdominal pain and fever]. / Tuberculosis pancreática: una causa insospechada de dolor abdominal y fiebre.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is frequently the form of presentation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection even in patients who have not developed acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Nevertheless, pancreatic affection is uncommon. Tuberculosis of the pancreas (TBP) is a clinical rarity and mimics pancreatic carcinoma both clinically and radiologically. CLINICAL CASE: We present the case of a 42-year-old man with a 5-day evolution of moderate abdominal pain in the right lower quadrant and fever and vomiting without diarrhea. The patient had no history of abdominal surgery. CT scan revealed a heterogeneously enhancing, multicystic structure in the pancreatic head. Due to suspicion of malignancy, a pancreatoduodenectomy was performed with pathological result of pancreatic tuberculosis. The patient was discharged on the 10th postoperative day without surgical complications. He died 10 months later of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. By that time he had a positive serum HIV antibodies test. CONCLUSIONS: TBP diagnosis can be missed or significantly delayed because it is often not suspected prior to laparotomy unless there is evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis. TBP should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a mass in the head of the pancreas. The response to early antituberculosis treatment is very effective.