Disseminated Tuberculosis Presenting as Venous Thromboembolism

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world and can have both pulmonary and extrapulmonary manifestations. Among the myriad extrapulmonary manifestations of TB, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is rare. We present the case of a 25-year-old woman who presented with progressive painful swelling of the left upper limb associated with intermittent low-grade fever. Upon evaluation, she was found to have DVT along with a subsegmental pulmonary embolism. Further workup of the patient revealed bilateral pleural effusion and constrictive pericarditis along with microbiological evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The patient was started on anti-tubercular therapy along with therapeutic anti-coagulation, after which there was a substantial clinical improvement. Though rare, this case elucidates the venous thrombosis risk associated with one of the most common diseases in developing countries.