Lymph nodes tuberculosis: a retrospective study on clinical and therapeutic features

Abstract

Lymph nodes tuberculosis represents 30 percent of extra pulmonary tuberculosis in Morocco. We report here the experience of the pulmonology unit of the Avicenne Military Hospital in Marrakech for a period of 4 years. Our study interested 30 patients (15 males and 15 females) with an average age of 29 years old (10 to 62 years old). Tuberculosis has interested a single site in 28 patients, the other two patients had multiple but unilateral involvement. For the single sites, locations were jugulo-carotidian (20 patients), supra-calvicular (2 patients), axillary (2 patients), sub-mandibular (2 patients), spinal (2 patients) and mediastinal (2 patients). For the multiple locations, the involvement was jugulo-carotidian, sub-mandibular, spinal and sub-clavicular for one patient; and jugulo-carotidian and sub-clavicular for the other. Diagnosis was made by surgical biopsy and histology for all the patients. A six-month anti-tuberculous treatment was given afterward, with relapses in two patients.