Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2018
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide, with many individuals with undiagnosed active or latent disease. The presence of parenchymal lung disease, such as interstitial lung disease (ILD), has been suggested to increase the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). In the clinical setting of ILD, the diagnosis of an underlying MTB infection may be challenging due to the interstitial process and underlying fibrosis, which may mask the infection. An atypical presentation and misleading radiological patterns may delay the diagnosis of the underlying MTB infection. Herein, we describe a unique case of ILD complicated by active MTB infection in an 84-year-old male, which presented as a diagnostic and clinical challenge. Eventually, due to hypoxia and respiratory failure, the patient expired.
Recommended Citation
Wong, C., Sahni, S., Cheema, M. A. I., & Iftikhar, A. (2018). Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in the setting of interstitial lung disease: Coincidence or bad luck? Cureus, 10(10) doi:10.7759/cureus.3391
Publisher's Statement
Originally published in Cureus, 10(10) [Article e3391]. The original material can be found here.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
