Extrapulmonary tuberculosis – A case report

Introduction:

In 2016, 5915 tuberculosis cases were transmitted to the Robert Koch Institute in Germany. Thus, the incidence of 7.2 diseases per 100000 inhabitants stagnated at a high level compared to the previous year, when tuberculosis cases increased by 29%. The current figures are influenced by demographic developments and migration movements. This and the fact that an early diagnosis of tuberculosis, in the ideal case before the open and infectious form of pulmonary tuberculosis develops, can prevent the spread of the disease, shows the relevance and importance of this issue.

Case report:

A 23-year-old female patient presents with cervical swelling on the left side persistent since 7 years. Apart from the externally visible swelling, the patient gives no complaints. The patient is from Somalia and lives in Germany since January 2015. Ultrasound and computed tomography of the neck is suspicious for lymph node tuberculosis and a cervical lymph node is extirpated to confirm the diagnosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is detected by PCR and tuberculostatic therapy can be initiated.

Conclusion:

In 2015, 1249 cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis were reported to the Robert Koch Institute. The lymph nodes were the most frequently affected with 12% of the diseases. Since the patients often show little or no symptoms, the disease is often recognized late. An increase in the incidence is expected in the near future. Therefore, it is important to sensitize for this topic, so that signs of extrapulmonary tuberculosis are perceived early and the suspicion is consistently pursued.

Publication History

Publication Date:
18 April 2018 (online)