European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine (Nov 2021)

A Case of Intestinal Tuberculosis Mimicking Crohn’s Disease: A Clinical and Diagnostic Dilemma

  • Sharon Weinberg,
  • Ahsan Mughal

DOI
https://doi.org/10.12890/2021_002699

Abstract

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This case highlights the importance of differentiating between Crohn’s disease and intestinal tuberculosis. The rates of misdiagnosis of Crohn’s disease and intestinal tuberculosis range from 50% to 70% because of their non-specific and clinically similar manifestations.If intestinal tuberculosis is misdiagnosed as Crohn’s disease, use of immunomodulatory drugs commonly used for Crohn’s disease can increase the risk of disseminated tuberculosis. Here we present a case highlighting the clinical similarity between these two distinct medical conditions and suggest how a similar scenario can be approached, which can help to differentiate between the two otherwise very similar conditions.

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