The Indian Journal of Chest Diseases and Allied Sciences

Register      Login

VOLUME 55 , ISSUE 4 ( October-December, 2013 ) > List of Articles

CASE REPORT

Tuberculosis Lymphadenitis in a Well Managed Case of Sarcoidosis

Kranti Garg, Niti Singhal, D. Aggarwal, R. Gupta, A. Khurana, A.K. Janmeja

Keywords : Tuberculosis, Sarcoidosis, Lymph node, Acid-fast bacilli, Corticosteroid treatment

Citation Information : Garg K, Singhal N, Aggarwal D, Gupta R, Khurana A, Janmeja A. Tuberculosis Lymphadenitis in a Well Managed Case of Sarcoidosis. Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci 2013; 55 (4):217-220.

DOI: 10.5005/ijcdas-55-4-217

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 16-06-2022

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2013; The Author(s).


Abstract

Differentiation between tuberculosis (TB) and sarcoidoisis is sometimes extremely difficult. Sequential occurrence of sarcoidosis and TB in the same patient is uncommon. We present the case of a young man, with a proven diagnosis of sarcoidosis who later developed TB after completion of treatment for sarcoidosis. A 32-year-old male patient presented with low-grade fever since two months. Physical examination revealed cervical lymphadenopathy. Initial fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the cervical lymph node was suggestive of granulomatous inflammation; the chest radiograph was normal. Repeat FNAC from the same lymph node was suggestive of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. The patient was treated with antibiotics and followed-up. He again presented with persistence of fever and lymphadenopathy and blurring of vision. Ophthalmological examination revealed uveitis, possibly due to a granulomatous cause. His repeat Mantoux test again was non-reactive; serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) levels were raised. This time an excision biopsy of the lymph node was done which revealed discrete, non-caseating, reticulin rich granulomatous inflammation suggestive of sarcoidosis. The patient was treated with oral prednisolone and imporved symptomatically. Subsequently, nearly nine months after completion of corticosteroid treatment, he presented with low-grade, intermittent fever and a lymph node enlargement in the right parotid region. FNAC from this lymph node showed caseating granulomatous inflammation and the stain for acid-fast bacilli was positive. He was treated with Category I DOTS under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme and improved significantly. The present case highlights the need for further research into the aetiology of TB and sarcoidosis.


PDF Share
  1. Jindal SK, Gupta D, Aggarwal AN. Sarcoidosis in India: practical issues and difficulties in diagnosis and management. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 2002;19: 176-84.
  2. Sharma OP. Murray Kornfeld, American College of Chest Physicians and sarcoidosis: a historical footnote. 2004 Murray Kornfeld Memorial Founders Lecture. Chest 2005;128:1830-5.
  3. Gupta D. Tuberculosis and sarcoidosis: the continuing enigma. Lung India 2009;26:1-2.
  4. Papaetis GS, Pefanis A, Solomon S, Tsangarakis I, Orphanidou D, Achimastos A. Asymptomatic stage I sarcoidosis complicated by pulmonary tuberculosis: a case report. J Med Case Reports 2008;2:226.
  5. Baughman RP. Can tuberculosis cause sarcoidosis? New techniques try to answer an old question. Chest 1998;114: 363-4.
  6. Drake WP, Newman LS. Mycobacterial antigens may be important in sarcoidosis pathogenesis. Curr Opin Pulm Med 2006;12:359-63.
  7. Jindal SK. Mycobacterial relationship of sarcoidosis: the debate continues. Expert Rev Respir Med 2008;2:139-43.
  8. Koth LL, Solberg OD, Peng JC, Bhakta NR, Nguyen CP, Woodruff PG. Sarcoidosis blood transcriptome reflects lung inflammation and overlaps with tuberculosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2011;184:1153-63.
  9. Maertzdorf J, Weiner J, 3rd, Mollenkopf HJ, Network T, Bauer T, Prasse A, et al. Common patterns and diseaserelated signatures in tuberculosis and sarcoidosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2012;109:7853-8.
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.