Prueba de cosintropina en tuberculosis activa grave / Cosyntropin test in severe active tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Frequency of adrenal insufficiency in patients with tuberculosis varies from 0 to 58%; however, all published series excluded severely ill patients. Our objective was to investigate adrenal insufficiency with the low-dose cosyntropin test in patients with severe active tuberculosis. METHOD: From two large university affiliated hospitals, 18 patients with tuberculosis and criteria of sepsis or severe sepsis according to SCCM/ACCP criteria, defined by the present authors as severe active tuberculosis, participated in the study. A low-dose ACTH test with 10 mg of ACTH was performed. After ACTH test, all patients received a stress dose of hydrocortisone (240 mg/day) during their entire hospitalization along with four antituberculous drugs. Abnormal response was considered when elevation of serum cortisol was <7 microg/dl with respect to basal level, 60 min after ACTH administration. RESULTS: Adrenal insufficiency was found in seven patients (39%); no clinical or laboratory data were associated with the presence of abnormal adrenal response. Except in one patient with HIV infection, all the signs and symptoms improved after antituberculous and hydrocortisone treatment. The increment in serum cortisol value post-ACTH test was lower in patients with hypoalbuminemia. CONCLUSIONS: Adrenal insufficiency is frequent in severe active tuberculosis. The efficacy and security of supplemental steroid treatment in severe active tuberculosis should be established by a randomized clinical trial.

Tuberculose miliar: relato de caso / Miliary tuberculosis: report of a case

This is a case report of generalized miliary tuberculous infection in a 80-year old white male without the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, whose death was caused by progressive hematogenous seeding similar to those cases of preantibiotic era. The importance of autopsy studies to uncover silent or protean infections specially in cases of cryptic or chronic hematogenous miliary tuberculosis, is emphasized.

Relata-se caso da forma miliar generalizada da infecção tuberculosa, em homem de 80 anos não portador da síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida (SIDA) cujo óbito decorreu de progressiva disseminação hematogênica, semelhante a casos da era pré-antibiótica. Enfatiza-se a associação com estados de subnutrição e imunodepressão, a dificuldade na abordagem clínica e a importância da necropsia para estabelecer o diagnóstico da disseminação miliar hematogênica crônica ou críptica.

Tuberculosis hematógena tardía / Late tuberculosis

La tuberculosis hematógena tardía es una forma de tuberculosis miliar que se presenta mucho tiempo después de la infección primaria, a partir de un foco extrapulmonar, por lo general silente. Es forma de tuberculosis se produce debido a una disminución de la inmunidad celular y humoral, generada por una causa intercurrente. Entre estas se pueden citar las terapias inmunosupresoras, neoplasias, diabetes, insuficiencia renal crónica y enfermedades virales. Tiene una alta mortalidad, que se estima en un 85 por ciento de los afectados. Se presenta un paciente de sexo masculino, de 56 años de edad que ingresa al Servicio de Clínica Médica para ser estudiado con diagnóstico de síndrome febril prolongado. Se concluye señalando que, para disminuir la alta mortalidad de esta entidad, debe realizarse su diagnóstico y tratamiento en forma precoz, y para ello hay que tenerla presente en el diagnóstico diferencial del síndrome febril prolongado

Quatro casos de presumível coroidite tuberculosa em pacientes infectados pelo HIV / Four cases of probable tuberculous choroiditis in patients HIV infected

Desde o início dos anos 80 tem-se observado um aumento da associaçäo da infecçäo pelo Mycobacterium tuberculosis e o paciente infectado pelo HIV ou com AIDS. Quatro pacientes portadores de AIDS, tuberculose e manifestaçöes oculares säo descritos pelos autores. Dois pacientes eram portadores de tuberculose miliar, um com tuberculose pulmonar com padräo radiológico atípico e um paciente com tuberculose ganglionar. Até a presente data, este é o primeiro relato de presumível coroidite tuberculosa em pacientes com AIDS, apesar da alta prevalência da tuberculose no Brasil