Professional paper

Skin and lung tuberculosis in patients with mixed connective disease - case report

Ana Petrović Vlahović orcid.org/0000-0002-1591-0643 ; Specijalna bolnica za plućne bolesti Zagreb
Miroslav Nakić ; Specijalna bolnica za plućne bolesti Zagreb
Dina Rnjak ; Specijalna bolnica za plućne bolesti Zagreb
Ana-Marija Šola ; Specijalna bolnica za plućne bolesti Zagreb
Vitorio Vrčić ; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Medicinski fakultet
Mihovil Vrčić ; Specijalna bolnica za plućne bolesti Zagreb

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present a rare case of skin and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in a patient with mixed connective tissue disease on immunosuppressive therapy and to point the importance of early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of complications of the disease.
TB is a contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). It is transmitted via droplets from an infected person, while other transmission modes are extremely rare. Due to localization, the disease is divided into pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB.15% of all cases of TB are extrapulmonary forms while skin TB is a rare extrapulmonary form that makes up 0.5-2% of all extrapulmonary TB in developed countries. Factors contributing to the development and progression of TB are alcoholism, poor nutrition, diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), development of transplantation medicine, chronic hemodialysis program and an increasing list of diseases and conditions requiring the use of immunosuppressive therapy. A wide range of symptoms and signs of tuberculosis postpone its diagnosis which delays adequate treatment, increases the number and possibility of complications, and ultimately leads to an increase in mortality.
In this case report, the patient developed skin and pulmonary TB and the diagnosis was established ten months after the development of the first symptom. After a year of antituberculosis therapy (isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide), a complete regression of skin changes occurred as well as radiological findings of pulmonary infiltrates.

Keywords

tuberculosis; skin tuberculosis; immunosuppression; mixed connective tissue disease

Hrčak ID:

225798

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/225798

Publication date:

1.10.2019.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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