"Silent" abdominal tuberculosis: a report of six cases

Six cases of "silent" or subclinical abdominal tuberculosis seen in patients who belong to the upper socio-economic class, but with a humble childhood are presented. The patients are usually from the Third World countries and the condition is often missed or mis-diagnosed. This condition is often precipitated by some stressful situation, and the presentation is not typical of the well-known clinical features of abdominal tuberculosis. This is most likely due to the fact that the high standard of living later in life tends to distort the classical clinical features of tuberculous abdomen as seen in the rest of the population. There is usually a dramatic response to anti-tuberculosis therapy.