Clinical and laboratory characteristics of 48 patients with miliary tuberculosis

Abstract

Miliary tuberculosis (TB) is a progressive form of TB, indicating disseminated hematogenous spread. Data were
collected by scanning the Dicle University Hospital records between January 1990 and December 2010. Forty eight adult
patients which were diagnosed miliary TB and followed by hospitalization were enrolled in this study. The mean age was
41.2 ± 14.1 years. Twenty-four patients (50%) had history of contact with TB patients; six patients (12.5%) had a history
of previous TB disease. The most common presenting symptoms were loss of appetite (77.1%), cough (70.8%) and
weight loss (64.5%), respectively. Typical miliary pattern were diagnosed radiologically on chest radiographs of all
patients. There was cavity at Thoracic tomography in six of 31 patients (12.5%). The most common laboratory finding
was elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (83.3%). The patients were diagnosed by microbiological (10%), histological
(29%) and clinical-radiological (61%) methods. 10 patients (20.8%) had a history of an additional disease accompanying
TB. Five patients (10.4%) died during hospitalization. As a result, miliary TB is a form of TB that is more frequent and
severe in risk groups with co morbid disease. After clinical suspicion, the use of microbiological and histopathological
methods up to radiological methods thought to be useful for fast and accurate diagnosis.