The Characteristics of Cases with Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in a University Hospital

Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) can involve most tissues and organs besides the lungs and this form is called extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPT). The diagnosis of EPT may be delayed due to organ-specific symptoms of the disease. Material and Method: In this study, the aim is to evaluate the cases who were diagnosed as EPT in our clinic between 2006-2009. Forty-four patient records were reviewed, retrospectively.Results: Twenty-nine (65.9%) cases were female, 15 (34.1%) cases were male. The mean age of the cases was 50.23±18.4 years and most were 25-34 years-old. Nine (21%) cases had a history of close contact. Seventeen (39%) cases had tuberculin tests in their records and thirteen (76%) of them had a positive result. The distribution according to sites of involvement of EPT cases were as follows: pleural TB (n:21, 47.7%), lymphadenitis TB (n:14, 31.8%), skin TB (n:3, 6.8%), bone-joint TB (n:2, 4.5%), urinary TB (n:1, 2.3%), gastrointestinal TB (n:1, 2.3%), laryngeal TB (n:1, 2.3%), breast TB (n:1, %2.3). Thirty-nine (89%) cases have completed the treatment successfully. Conclusion: The clinical features of EPT cases were discussed according to the literature.