Colonic tuberculosis

Tubercle bacillus was discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch. With the introduction of chemotherapy for tuberculosis in the 1940s the incidence of this entity decreased. The incidence of the tuberculosis of the colon began to increase at the 1980s with the rise in numbers of patients considered as high risk for this entity, such as HIV-infected individuals, patients with chronic renal disease, and immunosuppressed patients with prolonged steroid therapy. We report on two patients with history of chronic abdominal pain and weight loss with a palpable mass in the right lower quadrant. In one patient chest radiography revealed a miliary reticulonodular pattern. In both, abdominal CT scan showed retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy and colonic wall thickness. Colonoscopic examination showed ulcerative lesions and ileocecal valve disruption. Microscopic examination of intestinal content showed evidenced M. tuberculosis. Tuberculosis of the colon should be suspected in patients suffering from chronic abdominal pain and weight loss.