Extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Kabul, Afghanistan: a hospital-based retrospective review

The purpose of this study is to amplify the knowledge base of the epidemiology, symptoms, and signs of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) in Afghanistan.

This is a retrospective review of EPTB diagnosed at CURE International Hospital and CURE Family Health Center (FHC) in Kabul, Afghanistan during a recent 20-month period.

One hundred eighteen cases were identified from patients presenting to the hospital and FHC. This group represents the spectrum of EPTB seen at a single referral center in Kabul. The ratio of females to males was 2.03:1. Lymph node tuberculosis comprised the greatest number of EPTB cases (37.3%, n=44). The central nervous system was the next most frequent site of EPTB involvement (20.3%, n=24), followed in descending order by skeletal, pleural, abdominal, cutaneous, genitourinary, pericardial, miliary, and breast tuberculosis.

The 2:1 ratio of female to male EPTB cases coincides with the unusual epidemiologic pattern seen in smear-positive pulmonary TB in Afghanistan. As the first epidemiological report of EPTB from Afghanistan, this study illustrates the varied presentations of EPTB that should be known by healthcare workers throughout the country.