| A rare tuberculosis characterized by two or more extra-pulmonary lesions caused by M. tuberculosis with or without pulmonary involvement, mostly occurring in immunocompromized patients. It may affect any organ or viscera including liver, lymph nodes, lungs, pleura, and the joints. Skin and skeletal involvement as well as concomitant involvement of both were rarely reported. Skin involvement (including gummas, scrofuloderma, vasculitis and lupus tuberculosis) can either be dominated by pulmonary and osteoarticular localization, or by abdominal and lymph node involvement. Skeletal involvement, that may affect one or more joints, can be dominated by the involvement of large joints that support greater weight loads, such as the knees and hips and the spine. The symptoms are usually nonspecific, and the disease often presents with an indolent clinical course. Risk factors include human immunodeficiency viruses, immunosuppression due to diverse causes, smoking, malnutrition, diabetes, and stress. |
