Adult respiratory distress syndrome associated with miliary tuberculosis

Three patients with respiratory failure resulting from miliary tuberculosis had a characteristic clinical presentation that included a long history of a prominent cough, dyspnea, weight loss, tachycardia, tachypnea, pulmonary adventitious sounds, and hepatomegaly. Hematologic investigation showed a normal white cell count with marked left shift in the morphology of white cells in all three patients, and evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation in one patient. In only one patient was the initial sputum positive for acid-fast bacilli; in the others, invasive diagnostic procedures including lumbar puncture, bone marrow trephine, and open-lung biopsy were necessary for diagnosis. Miliary tuberculosis should be suspected in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome of unknown etiology. Simple diagnostic procedures such as sputum, bronchial brushings, and urine examination should be followed by bone marrow trephine, liver biopsy, transbronchial lung biopsy, and lumbar puncture if physical signs of meningitis are present.