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Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis differential diagnosis

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Pulmonary tuberculosis must be differentiated from other diseases that cause cough, fever, night sweats, hemoptysis and weight loss, such as: brucellosis, bronchogenic carcinoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, bacterial pneumonia, sarcoidosis, mycoplasmal pneumonia.

Differential Diagnosis

Differential Diagnosis

Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Disease Findings
Bacterial pneumonia Sudden onset of symptoms, such as high fever, cough, purulent sputum, chest pain. Consolidation on chest X-ray, leukocytosis.
Bronchogenic carcinoma Can be asymptomatic, usually at older ages (> 50 years old); Symptoms include cough, hemoptysis, weight loss
Brucellosis Fever, anorexia, night sweats, malaise,back pain , headache, and depression. History of exposure to infected animal
Hodgkin lymphoma Fever, night sweats, pruritus, painless adenopathy, mediastinal mass
Mycoplasmal pneumonia Gradual onset of dry cough, headache, malaise, sore throat. Diffuse bilateral infiltrates in chest X-ray.
Sarcoidosis Non-caseating granulomas in lungs and other organs, bilateral hiliar adenopathy, predominantly in African American females.
Adapted from Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s principles and practice of infectious diseases 2010 [1]

Extra-Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Extra-Pulmonary Location Differential Diagnosis
Tuberculous Lymphadenitis Lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma, papillary thyroid cancer, pyogenic infection
Skeletal Tuberculosis Multiple myeloma, bone metastasis, spinal cord abscess, osteoporosis
Tuberculous Arthrits Bacterial septic arthritis, pseudogout
Central Nervous System Tuberculosis Bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis, encephalitis
Tuberculosis Peritonitis Bacterial peritonitis, chronic peritoneal dialysis
Adapted from Asian Spine J. Feb 2014; 8(1): 97–111[2]; Handbook of Clinical Neurology[3]; Circulation Dec 2005 vol.112 no.23 3608-3616[4]; Am J Trop Med Hyg 2013 vol. 88 no. 1 54-64[5] Clin Infect Dis.(2011)53(6):555-562.[6]
References

References

  1. ↑ Mandell, Gerald (2010). Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s principles and practice of infectious diseases. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier. ISBN 0443068399.
  2. ↑ Moon, Myung-Sang (2014). “Tuberculosis of Spine: Current Views in Diagnosis and Management”. Asian Spine Journal. 8 (1): 97. doi:10.4184/asj.2014.8.1.97. ISSN 1976-1902.
  3. ↑ Garcia-Monco, Juan Carlos (2014). “Tuberculosis”. 121: 1485–1499. doi:10.1016/B978-0-7020-4088-7.00100-0. ISSN 0072-9752.
  4. ↑ Mayosi, B. M. (2005). “Tuberculous Pericarditis”. Circulation. 112 (23): 3608–3616. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.543066. ISSN 0009-7322.
  5. ↑ Daher, E. D. F.; da Silva Junior, G. B.; Barros, E. J. G. (2013). “Renal Tuberculosis in the Modern Era”. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 88 (1): 54–64. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2013.12-0413. ISSN 0002-9637.
  6. ↑ Fontanilla, J.-M.; Barnes, A.; von Reyn, C. F. (2011). “Current Diagnosis and Management of Peripheral Tuberculous Lymphadenitis”. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 53 (6): 555–562. doi:10.1093/cid/cir454. ISSN 1058-4838.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Alejandro Lemor, M.D. [2]