Intestinal tuberculosis complicated by pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) secondary to tuberculosis (TB) is a rare complication that can occur either at the time of presentation or later in the course of the disease. A 24-year-old woman was admitted with low-grade fever, abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and loose stools for one and half months. She was evaluated and diagnosed with abdominal TB. On the second day of admission, she had a sudden onset of the right lower limb edema with pain followed by breathlessness. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the thorax showed a thrombus in the left pulmonary artery. She was treated with low-molecular-weight heparin and started on anti-TB drugs. She was continued on oral anticoagulation with warfarin. We describe a patient who developed pulmonary embolism and lower limb deep vein thrombosis secondary to abdominal TB without paraaortic lymphadenopathy and a negative procoagulant workup, which was not reported previously. The mechanisms of VTE in TB are complex and may need further studies in the future, which may help the clinicians develop appropriate strategies for treatment.