Abstract

VIDAL TALLET, Lázaro Arturo et al. Fever of unknown origin as a form of presentation of tuberculosis. Rev Cubana Pediatr [online]. 2012, vol.84, n.4, pp. 426-432. ISSN 0034-7531.

Tuberculosis is an important cause of fever of unknown origin. Among the risk factors of getting infected by the tuberculosis bacillus are age, presence of comorbidities, immunological competence and high prevalence of the disease in a geographical area. The clinical, radiological and epidemiological findings along with the response to antimicrobial treatment can guide the physician to the correct diagnosis of this infectious disease. Here is a case in which the clinical and epidemiological elements (the father of the patient diagnosed with tuberculosis) led to diagnostic suspicion of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. It was not possible to demonstrate it by culturing, but the response to therapy was conclusive, since once the treatment began, there were total remission of the clinical picture and nutritional recovery. The therapeutically and diagnostically oriented anti-tuberculosis treatment should be borne in mind whenever there is a patient with fever of unknown origin and with other clinical and epidemiological evidence that support the possibility of tuberculosis infection.

Keywords : fever of unknown origin; tuberculosis.

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