Table Of Contents
- What is Abdominal Tuberculosis?
- What Causes Abdominal Tuberculosis?
- What are the Symptoms of Abdominal Tuberculosis?
- What is the Diagnosis of Abdominal Tuberculosis?
- What is the Treatment for Abdominal tuberculosis?
What is Abdominal Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis of the abdomen is a kind of tuberculosis that affects the gastrointestinal system. It mainly affects the peritoneum, abdominal lymph nodes, and, in rare cases, the kidney, liver, and pancreas. It can affect both adults and children.
What Causes Abdominal Tuberculosis?
The most common cause of abdominal tuberculosis is the reactivation of a dormant focus. This primary gastrointestinal focus develops as a result of haematogenous dissemination from a pulmonary focus acquired during a childhood primary infection.
Abdominal TB is also caused by the ingestion of unpasteurised cow milk harbouring the tuberculosis bacterium.
The most prominent region of this infection is the ileocaecal region, owing to the low digestive activity and high rate of fluid and electrolyte absorption.
What are the Symptoms of Abdominal Tuberculosis?
The clinical features of this disease depend on the location of the TB foci.
The more common signs and symptoms are:
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Fever
- Diarrhoea or constipation
- Bleeding in the rectum
Signs and symptoms based on location:
- Tuberculous Peritonitis: Presence of classic doughy abdomen.
- Oesophageal tuberculosis: Dysphagia, odynophagia, and retrosternal discomfort are common.
- Stomach tuberculosis: Usually involves the antral region, and symptoms of GERD are present.
- Duodenal tuberculosis: Symptoms of duodenal obstruction are present.
- Rectal tuberculosis: Constipation and Blood in vomiting is the most common symptom.
What is the Diagnosis of Abdominal Tuberculosis?
Lab tests and procedures include:
- Blood tests: Blood tests can reveal mild anaemia and increased sedimentation rate. It can also measure the immune system’s reaction to tuberculous bacteria.
- Ultrasonography
- CT abdomen
- Capsule endoscopy
- Endoscopy: A flexible, lighted tube is inserted in the mouth to better picture the abdomen.
What is the Treatment for Abdominal Tuberculosis?
The medications used and the length of therapy is determined by the patient’s age, overall health, drug resistance, and the location of the infection
TB medications should never be stopped before completing the whole course of treatment. Skipping doses or stopping therapy too soon may enable bacteria to become resistant to the drugs, resulting in TB that is significantly more dangerous and difficult to treat.