Pulmonary miliary tuberculosis complicated with tuberculous spondylitis; an extraordinary rare association: A case report

Abstract

In the last decade a significant rise in the prevalence of tuberculosis as well as in its extrapulmonary manifestations is detected worldwide. The central nervous system, the genitourinary tract, the organs of the abdomen and the skeletal system, are common sites of infection. Misdiagnosis and delay in treatment are common events. Herein, we present a case of a 78-year-old man non-smoker, with miliary tuberculosis complicated with tuberculous spondylitis. The patient presented with anemia and a left shoulder pain, accompanied by rigor and fever 37.5° C-38° C of one month duration. This entity is extremely rare, since only two similar cases have been reported in the English literature according to PubMed search. © 2009 Palama et al.; licensee Cases Network Ltd.