Tuberculosis in an infant with Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis: a case report

Abstract

Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) is a serious and life-threatening condition, and atypical tuberculosis (TB) associated with HAEC is even more serious. A male newborn aged 4 days was diagnosed with Hirschsprung disease and transanal Soave pull-through was performed at 4 months old. Six months later, he suffered from enterocolitis. Although he was treated with multiple broad-spectrum antibiotics for 2 weeks, he developed a fever without any other symptoms for TB infection. We found numerous, bilateral, uniformly distributed, small pulmonary nodules in the lower lobes in an abdominal radiograph by chance. He was then discharged with complete resolution of all symptoms after anti-TB therapy. Early diagnosis and treatment of TB can effectively improve the prognosis of children with HAEC.