Pulmonary tuberculosis in a five-year old male child with sickle cell anemia: a rare occurrence

Abstract

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and sickle cell anaemia (SCA) are endemic in Nigeria and are considered serious public health challenges. They contribute significantly to childhood morbidity and mortality. Immunosuppressive illnesses predispose children to PTB and children with SCA have reduced immunity. Thus, there should expectedly be a high prevalence of PTB among children with SCA. However, the reverse is the case. The occurrence of PTB in children with SCA is rare and scarcely reported in literatures. We present this rare case of PTB in a five-year old male child SCA and also highlight the challenges we had in the management.

Keywords: Pulmonary tuberculosis, male, child, sickle cell anaemia