Addison’s Disease Caused by Tuberculosis: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Difficulties

Abstract

Objectives: To demonstrate difficulties in diagnosing and treating Addison’s disease caused by tuberculosis. Materials and methods: We present a clinical case and review of the literature. Results: A 62-year-old man presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, weight loss and enlarged adrenal glands. After 2 months of diagnostic tests, a working diagnosis of Addison’s disease due to extrapulmonary tuberculosis was made. Treatment was challenging due to interaction between rifampicin and steroids. Conclusion: Our case illustrates that in non-endemic countries, extrapulmonary tuberculosis still needs to be considered as a possible cause of Addison’s disease.

Keywords

• Tuberculosis
• Addison’s disease
• adrenalitis