A rare cause of malnutrition: Intestinal tuberculosis

Extrapulmonary manifestations of tuberculosis are an uncommon. Intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) is rare, but it remains a life-threatening disease unless diagnosed. Due to the lack of specific signs and symptoms, diagnosis of ITB can be difficult. A 27-year-old Turkish woman was admitted to our clinic with a 6-month history of abdominal pain, fever and weight loss. Colonoscopy was performed. At colonoscopy, there was detected in the mucosal lesions in the terminal ileum and caecum. On colonoscopy, deformed ileocaecal valve, strictures in caecum and terminal ileum, mucosal nodules were detected. Multiple biopsy specimens were taken from the active lesion. The diagnosis was made by demonstration of acid-fast bacilli and epithelioid cell granulomas in the colonoscopic biopsy specimens. The lesion was diagnosed as ITB. Quadruple therapy with anti-TBC drugs for 1 year was ordered. The patient was discharged from hospital two months without any other complications. Intestinal TB is a treatable and curable illness