[Coinfection of COVID-19 and extrapulmonary tuberculosis]

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic continues causing significant global morbidity and mortality. COVID-19 is an acute respiratory infection that can affect other organs. Tuberculosis (TB) is also an endemic infection that typically occurs with pulmonary involvement and very infrequently, with extra-pulmonary involvement. There is little information on extrapulmonary TB and COVID-19 coinfection. The objective of this communication was to present information about this association in a public hospital in the city of Buenos Aires. Between March 2020 and April 2021, our Hospital diagnosed 10 809 cases of COVID-19, 106 of TB and 20 of TB-COVID-19 coinfection (incidence 185 cases of TB/100 000 cases of COVID-19), exceeding more than six times the average frequency of TB/100 000 inhabitants of the country (31/100 000). Of these 20 cases diagnosed with COVID-19 and TB, five presented extrapulmonary involvement due to TB (25%). The median age was 30 years (CI25-75, 28-31), three (60%) of them were female. The most frequently associated infection was due to human immunodeficiency virus, (n = 3), underweight (n = 2), COPD (n = 1) and drug addiction (n = 1). Three presented exclusive extrapulmonary involvement of the central nervous system, two pulmonary and pericardial. Four patients (80%) had a favorable evolution.