Pulmonary Tuberculosis Complicating Interstitial Lung Disease in Systemic Sclerosis: A Case Report from a High TB Burden Country
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic connective tissue disease marked by immune system dysfunction, vascular damage, and progressing fibrosis involving the skin and various internal organs. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) represents one of the leading contributors to illness and death in patients with SSc. The management becomes more complex when complicated by opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis (TB), particularly in endemic regions. We present the case of a 45-year-old woman with complaints of generalized weakness for one-week, intermittent fever, nausea and vomiting, and a weight loss of 5 kg over the previous 2 months. Clinical examination showed skin thickening and sclerodactyly, which then diagnosed as SSc-associated ILD (SSc-ILD). High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) revealed reticular changes, ground-glass opacities, and traction bronchiectasis, indicating a nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) pattern. During the course of treatment, the patient developed a persistent productive cough, weight loss, and fever. Pulmonary TB was confirmed through acid-fast bacilli smear and GeneXpert testing. Early recognition of dual pathology and coordinated care among rheumatology, pulmonology, and infectious disease teams are crucial for optimizing outcomes. This case underlines the need for vigilance in managing immunosuppressed patients in TB-endemic settings and contributes to the literature on SSc-ILD complicated by active TB.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- The Prediction of the In Vitro Release Curves for PLGA-Based Drug Delivery Systems with Neural Networks
- Promising Ursolic Acid as a Novel Antituberculosis Agent: Current Progress and Challenges
- Proof of principle concept for the analysis and functional prediction of rare genetic variants in the CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 genes
- Fabrication, characterization, and docking studies of furosemide-loaded nanosponges using the emulsion solvent diffusion method
- The Effect of Concomitant Administration of Proton Pump Inhibitors on the Pharmacokinetics of CDK4/6 Inhibitors in Rats: Implications for the Evaluation of Hepatic and Transporter-Mediated Drug–Drug Interactions
- Mining the Metabolic Capacity of Clostridium sporogenes Aided by Machine Learning
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.