Disseminated Tuberculosis Presenting Primarily as Amenorrhoea- A Case Report

Abstract

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) primarily infects the lungs and spreads throughout the body after the initial infection. This dissemination occurs through the reactivation of a dormant focus, which is preceded by lymphohaematogenous spread. It can also spread through the bloodstream from active lung or miliary tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of amenorrhoea in young females in developing countries like India. Although disseminated tuberculosis with osteoarticular involvement is a rare occurrence, a 20-year-old female presented to Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital (AVBRH) with primary complaints of amenorrhoea and swelling in the right knee joint, which were the primary symptoms of disseminated tuberculosis. The present case is exceptional because it lacks the typical pulmonary symptoms. The predominance of gynaecological symptoms over pulmonary involvement may have led to an incorrect diagnosis of malignancy instead of tuberculosis. Additionally, the suspicion of tuberculosis was delayed due to elevated ovarian tumour markers.

Keywords

• alpha-fetoprotein
• mycobacterium tuberculosis
• osteoarticular
• wet peritonitis