International Journal of Medical Research and Review

Pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis, an inflammatory disease misdiagnosed as cancer

Nabeia Gheryani — Sat, 25 May 2024 00:00:00 +0530

Introduction: tuberculosis is a serious infection associated with high mortally rate if not treated. The clinical and imaging presentation are usually nonspecific and can mimic malignancy; therefore, extrapulmonary TB should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any suspicious extrapulmonary masses, particularly in immunocompromised patients.

Objective: the aim of this study is to analyzed 160 case of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis and correlate the pathological features with the clinical data and to find the most common differentiation diagnosis of both pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis

Methodology: a retrospective analysis of 160 case of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis was performed. The age, the gender, the site, and the symptoms of the lesion were collected, extrapulmonary sites were detected including rare and unusual sites and the differential diagnosis of these lesion was highlighted. The data were plotted in graphs and were analyzed

Result: in our study 63.6% were male and 36.4 were females. Majority of the patients were in the age group of 21-30 years followed by 31- 40-year, cough and hemoptysis were the most common symptoms followed by cervical swelling with 39% and 33% respectively. The most common sites were lung with (39%) and cervical swelling with (33%). The main differential diagnosis for many pulmonary and all extra-pulmonary tuberculosis was malignancy

Conclusion: tuberculosis is a serious young person disease that can affect almost every organ and tissue of the body and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of suspicious masses, as tuberculosis often misdiagnosed as cancer

keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, cancer, malignancy, extrapulmonary.

Lymphocytic colitis: an Important but Underdiagnosed Cause of Chronic Diarrhoea in Adult Nigerians

Kenechukwu Okonkwo, Olusegun Ojo, Omolade Betiku — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 10:41:42 +0530

Introduction: Lymphocytic colitis is an important cause of chronic diarrhoea which is amenable to appropriate treatment which helps to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic diarrhoea. In Africa unfortunately, there is poor awareness of this treatable cause of chronic diarrhoea on account of a paucity of skilled experts necessary to make a diagnosis and implement effective therapy.

Aim: We present the clinical aspects, endoscopic findings and pathological features of twenty-one Nigerian patients with lymphocytic colitis. A short literature review of the epidemiological, clinical, endoscopic, and pathological features of this important condition is also presented.

Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of the clinical, endoscopic and pathological findings of twenty-one patients who were diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis following colonoscopy in an open-access endoscopy setting in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria over eighteen months.

Results: Twenty-one diagnoses of lymphocytic colitis were made from a pool of one hundred and twenty-two colonoscopies done between December 2021 and May 2023. There were slightly more females diagnosed with an M: F ratio of 3:4 with a mean (SD) age of 52.2 (± 14.3) years. All of the patients had a history of passage of watery diarrhoea while normal colonoscopy findings were present in 87.5%. The mean (SD) time to diagnosis in five of these study subjects was 18.4 ± 9.1 months. These patients had standard medical treatment with good outcomes.

Conclusion: In sub-Saharan Africa, lymphocytic diarrhoea is a treatable cause of chronic diarrhoea. It is important to refer patients with chronic diarrhoea to facilities where they can benefit from the expertise of endoscopists and pathologists.

Antimicrobial Resistance and its Impact on Public Health

KUSHAL MUKHERJEE — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0530

Aim of the Study: The current study addresses the increasing threat of AMR and its direct impact on global public health. It aims to contribute to the existing knowledge about the key challenges of AMR, bringing attention to the need for further research and creating a combined effort in the battle with antimicrobial resistance.

Background & Methods: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been considered one of the key problems that humankind has come across, showing a massive impact on public health globally. The continuous emergence of new microbial strains complicates it further by reducing the efficacy of the available antimicrobial drugs. For the current study, various scientific journals were studied from multiple resources. Furthermore, the websites of policymakers and agencies associated with this cause were studied and referred to.

Results & Conclusions: The study has revealed a concerning trend of a steep increase in resistance of pathogens to antimicrobial agents. The major contributing factors which were identified during this study include misuse and overuse in the healthcare sector, inadequate prevention of infections and disease control, overuse in agriculture and the lack of novel antimicrobial agents. Several policies like the “One Health” approach by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been put in place as a means to combat the global public health problem. The study also highlights the need for policymakers, stakeholders and researchers to work in unison to combat the global issue.