Unrecognized tuberculosis in a patient with COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction. COVID-19 is responsible for the current global pandemic. Globally, over 15 million people are currently infected, and just over 600,000 have died due to being infected. It is known that people with chronic illnesses and compromised immune systems can develop more severe clinical presentation. Tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the biggest epidemiological problems worldwide. Both of these diseases can be misdiagnosed and can manifest in a similar way. We will present a case study of a patient who was initially treated as a COVID-19 infection, with TB being diagnosed later on. The recovery began only after being treated for both diseases simultaneously. Case report. The patient is a 27-year-old male, non-smoker, with no history of any significant diseases. He presented with fever, fatigue and hemoptysis. Computed tomography pulmoangiography had shown massive consolidations and excavations, which could be caused by COVID-19. Despite being treated for COVID-19, there was no clinical improvement. On the follow-up chest X-ray, beside signs of COVID-19, there were also changes that could indicate TB. TB was detected in sputum, using PCR and Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube, and only after being treated for both diseases did his condition improve. Conclusion. There are a few reported cases of COVID-19 and TB coinfections, and we believe that there are many more patients with this coinfection being unrecognized

Keywords

• covid-19
• tuberculosis
• infection
• diagnosis