Reversible uremia due to bilateral ureteral obstruction from tuberculosis. Case report and review

An El Salvadoran man with reversible uremia secondary to genitourinary tuberculosis is described. The literature of genitourinary tuberculosis is also reviewed with emphasis on the pathology and infrequency of renal failure in this setting. Although the total number of cases of tuberculosis and pulmonary disease in particular is declining, the prevalence of extrapulmonary TB is not. In addition, the incidence of TB in recent immigrants to the United States is extremely high. Thus, the finding of tuberculosis should prompt investigation to rule out genitourinary disease which can be clinically silent in a large percentage of the cases.