Ocular tuberculosis - A closer look to an increasing reality

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Ocular tuberculosis (OTB) is a rare manifestation of tuberculosis.
• Diagnosis is typically presumptive, relying on epidemiological data, clinical presentation, and immune response tests.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize ocular tuberculosis cases diagnosed in Lisbon between 2012 and 2015.
• To evaluate diagnostic criteria, treatment outcomes, and patient demographics.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 39 presumed OTB cases.
• Data collected included demographics, diagnostic methods (Tuberculin Skin Test [TST] and Interferon Gamma Release Assay [IGRA]), treatment duration, and therapeutic results.

Main Results:

• OTB accounted for 12.2% of all tuberculosis cases in the study period.
• The mean patient age was 55.5 years, with uveitis being the primary ocular manifestation.
• 91.4% of treated patients showed clinical improvement with no reported relapses over a median follow-up of 29.9 months.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first series of OTB cases in Lisbon.
• Presumptive diagnosis using TST and/or IGRA was effective.
• Treatment demonstrated significant benefits, suggesting OTB is an increasing diagnosis.