DOI: 10.12890/2021_002598
An Atypical Manifestation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection
Authors
ivanpalmeiro@gmail.com
Keywords
Aortitis, Mycobacterium tuberculosisAbstract
Introduction: Aortitis is seen in a wide variety of diseases. It was rarely found in the past but this is changing because of new imaging techniques.
Case description: We present the case of a 45-year-old man who was found on thyroid ultrasound to have infrarenal aortitis and pathological lymphadenopathies in different locations. After an exhaustive diagnostic process, tuberculous aortitis, an infrequent manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, was diagnosed. The condition resolved after a 6-month course of antibiotics and a 6-week course of corticosteroids.
Conclusion: Tuberculous aortitis is an atypical manifestation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. The absence of typical symptoms and the difficulty of isolating the microorganism makes its diagnosis difficult. Therefore, clinical suspicion, microbiological tests and imaging are key for reaching the diagnosis and starting treatment for a serious disease that can cause aortic aneurysm and dissection.
References
- Bossone E, Pluchinotta FR, Andreas M, Blanc P, Citro R, Limongelli G, et al. Aortitis. Vascul Pharmacol 2016;80:1–10.
- Lopes RJ, Almeida J, Dias PJ, Pinho P, Maciel MJ. Infectious thoracic aortitis: a literature review. Clin Cardiol 2009;32(9):488–490.
- Treglia G, Stefanelli A, Mattoli MV, Leccisotti L, Muoio B, Bertagna F. Usefulness of 18F-FDG PET/CT in evaluating disease activity at different times in a patient with chronic periaortitis. Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2013;47(1):69–71.
- Delaval L, Goulenok T, Achouh P, Saadoun D, Gaudric J, Pellenc Q, et al. New insights on tuberculous aortitis. J Vasc Surg 2017;66(1):209–215.
- Allins AD, Wagner WH, Cossman DV, Gold RN, Hiatt JR. Tuberculous infection of the descending thoracic and abdominal aorta: case report and literature review. Ann Vasc Surg 1999;13(4):439–444.
