Abstract

LE ROUX, Camilla E.  and  VLOK, Sucari S.C.. The silent pandemic in South Africa: Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis from head to heel. S. Afr. J. radiol. (Online) [online]. 2021, vol.25, n.1, pp.1-9. ISSN 2078-6778.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajr.v25i1.2026.

Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is the leading cause of communicable disease-related deaths in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide and in South Africa. Mycobacterium tuberculosis disseminates haematogenously from an active primary lung focus and may affect extra-pulmonary sites in up to 15% of patients. Extra-pulmonary TB may present with a normal chest radiograph, which often causes a significant diagnostic dilemma. This review describes the main sites of involvement in EPTB, which is illustrated by local imaging examples.

Keywords : extra-pulmonary TB; circulatory system; lungs; organ systems; chest radiograph; diagnosis.

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