Ganglionar and pancreatic tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient

Abstract

Tuberculosis constitutes an endemic global health problem in underdeveloped countries. Although the most common presentation is pulmonary, extrapulmonary forms can be seen in one-fifth of cases in immunocompetent patients. Within this, abdominal involvement occurs in 10-15% of cases, with the pancreas being an organ rarely involved. The diagnosis of pancreatic tuberculosis is challenging and often can be confused with other conditions, such as adenocarcinomas or lymphomas, due to diverse clinical and radiological presentations. Therefore, maintaining a high index of suspicion is important when the diagnosis is plausible in the appropriate clinical setting. We present the case of an immunocompetent patient with abdominal tuberculosis involving lymph nodes and the pancreas, along with a literature review on the subject.