ABSTRACT
Seventy-eight patients with abdominal tuberculosis [TB] were admitted to the medical and surgical departments at two major teaching hospitals in Jeddah during the period from January 1991 to August 2001. They were young patients with average age of 31 years. They all belonged to low socio-economic class. The majority of patients presented with non-specific symptoms which included fever, weight loss, abdominal pain, vomiting and change of bowel habit. There was a predilection for a single organ involvement. The peritoneum being the commonest site [61.50%] followed by the liver [16. 60%], mesenteric lymph nodes [10.20%], small bowel [3.80%] and colon [2.60%]. The spleen, appendix, pancreas and perineum were involved a 1.3% [one case each]. Abnormal chest x-ray suggestive of active or old tuberculosis and positive Mantaux test were present in 41% and 14.60% of patients respectively. Laparoscopy was helpful in establishing the diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis in 43 patients. Seven patients [8.90%] required various surgical procedures. The outcome of treatment with anti-TB chemotherapy for 6 months was successful. One patient developed post-operative abdominal fistula and two patients died. The morbidity was 1.3% and the mortality was 2.56%