A Case Report of Renal Tuberculosis With Associated Unusual Pulmonary Findings

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a wide-reaching chronic inflammatory disease predominantly infecting the lungs. When it infects other sites, it is termed extrapulmonary TB. Among the extrapulmonary forms, genitourinary TB (GU-TB) accounts for 30%-40% of cases.We report a case of pulmonary-renal TB with unusual pulmonary findings. Subsequent investigation of a frank haematuria case revealed positive Mycobacterium TB culture and acid-fast bacillus polymerase chain reaction (AFB-PCR) samples of urine, with abdominal imaging findings suggestive of GU-TB. Pulmonary involvement was evident on chest imaging as bilateral innumerable small nodules and tree-in-bud pattern with negative AFB-PCR from bronchoalveolar lavage samples. Clinicians practicing in endemic countries should adopt a high index of suspicion to avoid treatment delays and the development of complications of GU-TB.

Renal complications of tuberculosis; a mini-review

“…Hematuria, flank pain, and dysuria may also be present. The diagnosis of renal TB requires a high index of suspicion and is based on a combination of clinical, radiological, and microbiological findings (31,32).…”