Severity of neuromeningeal tuberculosis in Morocco: a critical evaluation of epidemiological trends and treatment efficacy.

Introduction: neuromeningeal tuberculosis (NMT) is a significant public health challenge in Morocco because of its acute severity and high mortality rates. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, and disease progression characteristics of NMT in the Kenitra province. Methods: a retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of patients diagnosed with NMT at the Diagnostic Center of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases in Kenitra from 2014 to 2017. Results: among the 33 identified NMT cases, predominantly males (57.6%) were affected, with an age range of 4-76 years and a median age of 25 years. Extrapulmonary manifestations were prevalent, constituting 78.8% (n=26) of all cases, with meningeal localization in 45.5% (n=15) of confirmed cases. Furthermore, 9.1% (n=3) of cases were associated with unconfirmed cerebral tuberculosis (TB), and 12% (n=4) exhibited miliary TB. Familial transmission and comorbidities were identified as significant factors in disease progression. More than half of the patients received standardized antibacillary treatment during hospitalization, which lasted between 9 and 12 months. Treatment outcomes were generally positive (73%), but a 12% case fatality rate and 15% loss to follow-up were observed. Conclusion: this study highlights the complex clinical and public health challenges posed by NMT in Morocco. It emphasizes the need for improved health strategies that not only increase public awareness but also enhance the accessibility and quality of diagnostic services and treatment options.

Late diagnosis of disseminated tuberculosis: A case report. / Diagnóstico tardío de tuberculosis diseminada: reporte de caso.

Introduction: The lungs are most commonly involved in tuberculosis, but infection can also involve other organs through lymphohematogenous dissemination. The clinical presentation of disseminated tuberculosis is variable. Diagnosis is difficult, because clinical manifestations are diverse, more than 50% of patients present late, because microbiological testing relies on invasive procedures for mycobacterial culture and supportive histopathology. Case report: A 30-year-old male patient, deprived of his liberty, with no co-morbidities, was admitted to the hospital for severe pain in the left wrist, with a previous history of having received systemic glucocorticoids for 7 months. He developed clinical symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis, in the pleura, in the joint of the left wrist and in the left testicle, and tests confirmed the presence of M. tuberculosis. He underwent surgery on the wrist and testicle and was also treated for susceptible tuberculosis. Concomitant sequelae of iatrogenic Cushing's disease, chronic anemia and chronic inactive proctitis were diagnosed. Conclusions: Diagnosis of disseminated tuberculosis was difficult due to the non-specific clinical picture, limitations of confirmatory diagnostic tools and timely specialized evaluations. Prolonged use of systemic corticosteroids may have played a role in the dissemination of tuberculosis.

Introducción: Los pulmones son más afectados en la tuberculosis. La infección también puede comprometer a otros órganos a través de la diseminación linfohematógena. La presentación del cuadro clínico de la tuberculosis diseminada es variable. El diagnóstico es difícil, porque las manifestaciones clínicas son diversas. Más del 50% de los pacientes acuden tardíamente, porque las pruebas microbiológicas dependen de procedimientos invasivos para el cultivo de micobacterias y la histopatología de apoyo. Caso clínico: Paciente varón de 30 años, persona privada de su libertad, sin comorbilidades, ingresó al hospital por dolor intenso en muñeca izquierda, con historia previa de haber recibido glucocorticoides sistémicos durante siete meses. Desarrolló cuadro clínico de tuberculosis pulmonar en pleura, en articulación de la muñeca izquierda y en testículo izquierdo. En los análisis se confirmó presencia de . Fue intervenido quirúrgicamente en muñeca y en el testículo. Además, recibió tratamiento para tuberculosis sensible. Concomitantemente se diagnosticó secuelas de Cushing iatrogénico, anemia crónica y proctitis crónica inactiva. Conclusiones: El diagnóstico de tuberculosis diseminada fue difícil debido al cuadro clínico inespecífico, a las limitaciones de herramientas de diagnóstico confirmatorio y a las evaluaciones especializadas en forma oportuna. El uso prolongado de corticoides sistémicos habría influido en la diseminación de la tuberculosis.

Miliary TB in children and adolescents: a scoping review.

To summarise the available literature regarding clinical presentation, immunological and microbiological diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of miliary TB in children and adolescents.Four databases were searched from 1 January 1950 to 31 January 2023. "Miliary" and "disseminated" TB were the main search concepts.Of 257 studies, 1,883 patients with miliary TB were included. Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination was confirmed in 223/549 (40.6%) children. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement was reported in 367/924 (39.7%) cases; many of them had no neurological symptoms despite also having abnormal brain imaging. Of 1,112 children with known outcomes, 341 (30.6%) died; mortality was higher in publications before 1995 (41.5%) and in children with CNS involvement (31.9%). TB microbiological confirmation (55.8%) and sensitivity of tuberculin skin test (46.9%) and QuantiFERON Gold (72.4%) were overall low.Evidence is lacking to support best practices for paediatric miliary TB. Whether lumbar puncture (LP) and brain imaging should both be routinely done in miliary TB children, or a step-by-step approach based on initial LP findings, remains unclear. This study should inform policymakers and funding agencies about current significant gaps that need to be addressed by future high-quality studies..

Subtle Sonographic Signs of Disseminated Tuberculosis: A Case Report and Narrative Literature Review.

Miliary tuberculosis is a form of disseminated tuberculosis that can be difficult to detect when the classic pattern is absent on chest radiograph and advanced cross-sectional imaging is not readily available. While the focused assessment with sonography for HIV-associated tuberculosis (FASH) protocol for extrapulmonary tuberculosis emphasizes easy-to-teach findings, experienced sonographers may detect additional, subtler signs that can aid in diagnosis. We report a case of a 20-year-old man with miliary tuberculosis diagnosed on computed tomography of the chest. We describe subtle sonographic signs of disseminated tuberculosis including subpleural irregularities and comet-tail artifacts, a bright liver pattern, peritoneal nodules, and a nonspecific sponge spleen pattern. We then discuss important differential diagnoses for each finding. Knowledge of subtle sonographic signs outside of the FASH protocol can aid clinicians in detecting disseminated tuberculosis, including the miliary form, when advanced imaging may not be available.

Tuberculosis extrapulmonar, la gran simuladora / Extrapulmonary tuberculosis, the great pretender

La tuberculosis es una enfermedad infecciosa considerada un problema de salud pública ya que constituye una de las principales causas de morbimortalidad a nivel mundial; su forma clínica más frecuente es la tuberculosis pulmonar, sin embargo, esta enfermedad también puede afectar estructuras extrapulmonares cuyo diagnóstico generalmente es tardío debido a que los síntomas y signos son inespecíficos. En este artículo se presenta un caso clínico de tuberculosis extrapulmonar (miliar, sistema nervioso central e intestinal) en el Hospital Universitario de Puebla (AU)

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease considered a public health problem since it is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide; the most common clinical form is pulmonary tuberculosis; however, this disease can also affect extrapulmonary structures whose diagnosis is generally late because the symptoms and signs are nonspecific. This article presents a clinical case of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (miliary, central nervous system and intestinal) at the University Hospital of Puebla (AU)

Miliary meningeal tuberculosis - an unusual imaging presentation for an early definitive diagnosis.

PURPOSE: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) causes significant morbidity and mortality in young children. Early treatment can be initiated with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging diagnosis. We present MR-detectable miliary meningeal TB in two patients. CASE 1: A 9-year-old girl developed fevers, cough, lethargy, and seizures. Brain MRI demonstrated multiple, small, T2-dark, rim-enhancing lesions, associated with cranial nerve and leptomeningeal enhancement. CSF showed pleocytosis, low glucose, and high protein. Chest CT showed mediastinal lymphadenopathy, multiple small interstitial lung nodules, and a splenic hypo enhancing lesion. Serial bronchoalveolar lavage studies were Xpert MTB/RIF and acid-fast negative. Endobronchial US-guided biopsy of a subcarinal lymph node was positive for Xpert MTB PCR. She was started on a 4-drug treatment for TBM and dexamethasone. Contact tracing revealed a remote positive contact with pulmonary tuberculosis. CASE 2: A 17-year-old female with Crohn's disease on adalimumab developed refractory ear infections despite multiple courses of antibiotics. She underwent myringotomy, with negative aerobic ear fluid culture. Brain MRI, obtained due to persistent otorrhea, showed multiple, small, round, T2-dark lesions. CSF studies were normal. CT chest, abdomen, and pelvis to assess for disseminated disease showed left upper lobe tree-in-bud nodules, hypoattenuating splenic lesions and a left obturator internus abscess with adjacent osteomyelitis. She underwent CT-guided aspiration of the obturator muscle collection, bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage, biopsy of two preexisting chronic skin lesions, and ear fluid aspiration. QuantiFERON Gold was positive. Ear fluid was Xpert MTB/RIF assay and acid-fast stain positive. Cultures from the ear fluid, skin tissue, muscle tissue, and alveolar lavage showed growth of acid-fast bacilli. She was started on 4-drug therapy and prednisone. CONCLUSION: Our cases highlight that TBM in many cases remains a diagnostic dilemma - both our patients presented in a prolonged atypical manner. The term miliary TB not only refers to a pattern of interstitial nodules on chest radiographs but also indicates the hematogenous spread of the disease and concurrent pulmonary and extrapulmonary involvement with high risk of TB meningitis. We promote the use of the term miliary meningeal TB - in both cases, the neuroimaging diagnosis of TB preceded both chest imaging and laboratory confirmation of the disease. Miliary meningeal nodules on MRI may have characteristic T2 low signal and may be more conspicuous in children and immunocompromised individuals where background basal meningeal enhancement is less prominent.

The clinical features and prognostic factors of miliary tuberculosis in a high tuberculosis burden area.

BACKGROUND: Miliary Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important infectious disease that threatens human health. The clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of miliary TB are summarized in this study. METHODS: The clinical information of miliary TB patients between 2010 and 2022 was retrospectively analyzed. Patients with miliary TB were characterized and compared to adverse outcomes cases. Factors independently associated with adverse outcomes were determined via multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 288 patients were analyzed, including 181 with adverse outcomes. The clinical manifestations are atypical. 88.54% Of them experienced systemic symptoms, whilst 69.79% manifested respiratory symptoms. 40.97% Presented with neurologic symptoms, while 35.07% reported gastrointestinal symptoms. The major comorbidities were pharmacological immunosuppression (21.53%), pneumoconiosis (15.28%), diabetes (10.76%), and pregnancy or postpartum (7.29%). Regarding microbiology, most patients were diagnosed via sputum or Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF), pleural effusion, ascites, cerebrospinal fluid, urine TB-DNA, and tuberculosis culture. Meanwhile, 2.43% of patients were diagnosed via cerebrospinal fluid NGS. Independent risk factors predictive of adverse outcomes were current smoking, leukocytosis, elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and the combination of lymphopenia with bone marrow tuberculosis or tuberculous lymphadenitis. The accuracy of the model was validated by an area under the ROC curve of 0.753 (95% IC 0.697-0.810). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical manifestations of miliary TB are atypical, and early diagnosis is challenging. The major comorbidities in miliary TB patients were pharmacological immunosuppression, pneumoconiosis, diabetes, pregnancy, and postpartum. Regarding etiological detection, multi-site and multi-type specimens should be collected for a timely diagnosis. Cerebrospinal fluid mNGS test may be a viable choice in some cases. Finally, current smoking, leukocytosis, elevated ALT levels, and the combination of lymphopenia with bone marrow tuberculosis or tuberculous lymphadenitis were identified as independent risk factors for adverse outcomes.

The clinical manifestations of miliary TB are atypical, and early diagnosis is challenging. The major comorbidities in miliary TB patients were pharmacological immunosuppression, pneumoconiosis, diabetes, pregnancy, and postpartum. Current smoking, leukocytosis, elevated ALT levels, and the combination of lymphopenia with bone marrow tuberculosis or tuberculous lymphadenitis were identified as independent risk factors for adverse outcomes.

Disseminated Tuberculosis: A 6-year Case Series Experience in a Tertiary Care Center.

BACKGROUND: Disseminated tuberculosis (dTB) disease is associated with a significant burden of morbidity and mortality and it requires improved awareness among clinicians. Case reports revealing the clinical and microbiological characteristics of dTB patients will help us to extend our knowledge of dTB. In our study, we have documented dTB cases followed for 6 years and revealed patients' clinical characteristics. METHODS: Patients followed between 2017 and 2023 who were diagnosed with dTB in a tertiary referral hospital in Istanbul have been evaluated. Data regarding patients' characteristics, methods used in establishing the definitive diagnosis, radiological patterns in chest X-rays, extrapulmonary sites involved, antituberculosis (TB) treatment regimens received, medication side effects, and drug resistance have been examined. Descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: Clinical characteristics of 55 patients with a median age of 41 (range 20-85, 52.7% male) were examined. The most common extrapulmonary involvements in our study were the skeletal system (n = 24), central nervous system (n = 7), and genitourinary tract (n = 7). Isoniazid (INH) resistance was detected in four patients. Mono resistance was reported for pyrazinamide in one patient. Multidrug resistance was detected in two patients and one of them was also resistant to ethambutol. Preextensively, drug resistance was reported in three patients. Another three patients were evaluated as resistant to both INH and streptomycin. CONCLUSION: Migrating from a high TB burden country and comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, human immunodeficiency virus, and rheumatoid arthritis that are related to immunocompromisation are thought to be risk factors for dTB.

Disseminated tuberculosis in PLWHIV presenting as primary adrenal insufficiency.

A woman in her 40s presented with a history of fatigue, symptoms of light-headedness on getting up from a sitting position and hyperpigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes. During the evaluation, she was diagnosed with primary adrenal insufficiency. Radiological imaging and microbiological evidence revealed features of disseminated tuberculosis involving the lungs and the adrenals. She was found to have an HIV infection. This patient was prescribed glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement therapy and was administered antituberculous and antiretroviral treatment.

Unusual presentation of miliary tuberculosis in a 12-year-old girl: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Miliary tuberculosis (TB) is a lethal hematogenous spread form of mycobacterium tuberculosis with approximately 15-20% mortality rate in children. The present report highlights the clinical manifestations of an unusual presentation of miliary tuberculosis in a 12-year-old girl. CASE PRESENTATION: In this case, extensive lung involvement was presented despite the absence of respiratory symptoms. Also, some central hypo-intense with hyper-intense rim nodules were detected in the brain's pons, right cerebral peduncles and lentiform nucleus. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that severe miliary TB may occur even in a person who received the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine.

Miliary tuberculosis diagnosed by diffuse hepatic uptake on PET/CT and transjugular liver biopsy.

The patient was an 81-year-old man. In his 20s, he had been treated with pharmacotherapy for pulmonary tuberculosis for 1 year. He presented to the Department of Respiratory Medicine with a chief complaint of dyspnea. The possibility of respiratory disease appeared to be low, but hepatic impairment was detected. The patient was thus referred to our department. Though the cause of hepatic impairment was unknown, the soluble interleukin-2 receptor level was elevated, suggesting malignant lymphoma. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) revealed diffuse, homogenous, intense FDG uptake in the entire liver, and transjugular liver biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Histopathological examination revealed an epithelioid granuloma, and auramine staining was positive for bacilli suggestive of tuberculosis. CT revealed diffuse micronodular shadows in the lung, yielding a diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis. Therefore, the patient was prescribed antituberculosis medication by the Department of Respiratory Medicine. His subsequent clinical course was good. The miliary (hepatic) tuberculosis was typical based on the diffuse, homogenous, intense FDG uptake throughout the liver observed on PET-CT.

Miliary Tuberculosis as Postmortem Diagnosis in Solid Organ Transplant Recipient: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients presents challenges that may lead to treatment delay. These include atypical clinical presentations, increased likelihood of negative tuberculin skin test or/and interferon-gamma release assays, and negative sputum smear results despite active disease. The treatment poses challenges due to pharmacokinetic interactions, allograft-related toxicity, and inadequate immune response. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 70-year-old man after kidney transplantation in 2012. The patient was transferred from the urology unit with deteriorating renal function and presumed urosepsis. His pulmonary chest X-ray showed hilar pulmonary infiltrates. Computed tomography of the chest/abdomen/pelvis revealed mediastinal lymphadenopathy, pulmonary infiltrates, pulmonary effusion, and splenomegaly. His blood results showed pancytopenia and high inflammatory and renal markers. He was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics covering bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. Despite initial clinical improvement, his kidney function deteriorated, and he required hemodialysis. His temperature continued to spike. On physical examination, he was confused and lethargic. He was scheduled to have a mediastinoscopy with lymph node biopsy, but he died the day before. The postmortem examination revealed miliary tuberculosis with tuberculosis of many organs: kidney transplant, native kidney, bone marrow, mediastinal lymph nodes, lungs, and spleen. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of active TB in transplant recipients requires a high index of suspicion and invasive procedures. The majority of all cases of active TB after SOT are disseminated or occur at extrapulmonary sites. Only a small minority of patients have classic cavitary changes on pulmonary imaging.

Disseminated tuberculosis: Clinical presentation, diagnosis, and outcomes in a tertiary-care hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the primary infectious cause of mortality worldwide. Although TB incidence and prevalence are declining, the use of immunosuppressive drugs and the growing prevalence of immunocompromising conditions such as comorbidities, malignancies, and the use of immunosuppressive agents are risk factors for disseminated TB (DTB). This study aims to identify the relevant clinical, laboratory, radiological, and histopathological features of DTB, as well as to assess the typical anatomical distributions and treatment outcomes of patients diagnosed with the disease at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC). Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted, including all patients diagnosed with miliary or DTB at KAMC with retrievable medical files. Results: The study included 55 patients, of whom 35 (63.6%) were male and the median age was 64 years old. 35 (63.6%) of the infected patients were timely diagnosed and eventually cured from the illness. The most common comorbid conditions were diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and immunocompromising conditions, which were present in 37 (67.2%), 12 (21.8%), and 11 (20%) of the patients, respectively. The most common presenting symptoms were fever and cough, present in 31 (56.3%) and 26 (47.2%) of the patients, respectively, followed by weight loss in 25 (45.4%), night sweats in 15 (27.2%), and shortness of breath in 14 (25.4%). Approximately two-thirds of the patients had pulmonary miliary TB (MTB) (38; 69.1%), followed by TB lymphadenitis (21; 38.2%), central nervous system involvement (13; 23.6%), skeletal involvement (11; 20%), gastrointestinal involvement (5; 9.1%), pleural involvement (3; 5.5%), and urogenital TB (2; 3.6%). The mortality rate was 14 (25.5%) patients. Conclusion: MTB is challenging to diagnose due to nonspecific clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings. Clinicians dealing with patients who are at risk of developing DTB should be aware of the typical presentations and abnormal clinical findings. They should also have a low threshold to initiate specific investigations for the disease, as early diagnosis and effective treatment is critical in reducing morbidity and mortality rates.