Case Report
A Rare Cause of Ascites-Disseminated TB with
Peritonitis in a Middle-Aged Female
Sahathevan Vithoosan ,
1
Ponnudurai Shanjeeban,
1
Joseph Philip Anpalahan,
1
Paramarajan Piranavan ,
2
Harindra Karunatilake,
1
and Ananda Jayanaga
1
1
National Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2
Internal Medicine, Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA 01608, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Sahathevan Vithoosan; vithoosan@gmail.com
Received 23 January 2019; Revised 22 April 2019; Accepted 13 May 2019; Published 26 May 2019
Academic Editor: Yoshihiro Moriwaki
Copyright © 2019 Sahathevan Vithoosan et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Background. Disseminated tuberculosis (TB) has been increasingly recognized in adults in the recent times due to increased
prevalence of immune suppression. Here we describe a case of 47-year-old female who presented with disproportionate ascites
where the diagnosis of disseminated TB was delayed. Case Report. A 47-year-old previously healthy female presented with
generalised body swelling with disproportionate ascites and loss of appetite and weight for four-month duration. She denied any
contact or past history of TB and reported no respiratory symptoms. Physical examination revealed signifcant ascites. Tere was
no lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly. Respiratory system examination was normal. Her Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate
(ESR) was above 100. Tuberculin skin test was positive with 17mm. Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) abdomen
revealed chronic liver disease with ascites. Diagnostic laparoscopy was in favour of miliary TB and the peritoneal biopsy revealed
granulomatous infammation with caseous necrosis, suggestive of TB. Te patient was started on antituberculosis treatment and
subsequently improved. Conclusion. TB peritonitis due to disseminated TB should be considered in the diferential diagnosis of
disproportionate ascites. Even though the diagnosis is difcult, diagnostic laparoscopy and biopsy is very helpful. It is important to
have an early diagnosis since delay in treatment can be detrimental in most cases.
1. Introduction
Tuberculosis (TB) is a systemic infectious disease caused by
Mycobacterium tuberculosis that afects multiple tissues and
organs. Because it has diverse presentations, it requires a high
index of suspicion. Disseminated TB has been increasingly
recognised in adults in recent times. Tis is due to the
increased prevalence of immune suppression due to acquired
immunodefciency syndrome (AIDS) and immunosuppres-
sive therapies for various medical disorders [1]. Tuberculous
peritonitis is a rare presentation of disseminated TB [2]. Tere
is usually a delay of about one month from presentation to
diagnosis in tuberculous peritonitis [2]. Here, we describe a
case of a 47-year-old previously healthy female who presented
with disproportionate ascites, where the diagnosis of dissem-
inated TB was delayed. Te case highlights the importance of
and difculty in diagnosing disseminated TB.
2. Case Presentation
A 47-year-old previously healthy female presented with
generalised body swelling, disproportionate ascites, loss of
appetite, and loss of weight for four months’ duration. She
denied any fever, night sweats, yellowish discolouration of the
eyes, hematemesis, melena, chronic cough, and haemoptysis.
She reported no history of orthopnoea and paroxysmal
nocturnal dyspnoea, and her urine output remained normal.
Her past medical history was not signifcant for any liver,
renal, or cardiac disease. She denied any past or contact
history of TB. She reported no use of alcohol or herbal
medications and no intravenous drug abuse. She was in a
monogamous relationship and she denied any family history
of liver or renal disease.
She was afebrile on admission and her vitals included a
pulse rate within normal limits. On exam, she was emaciated
Hindawi
Case Reports in Gastrointestinal Medicine
Volume 2019, Article ID 5076857, 4 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/5076857