Disseminated tuberculosis presenting as bilateral chylothorax: A case report

Tuberculosis, being an airborne disease with a broad spectrum of symptoms and signs, is a rare cause of chylothorax. Mortality due to tuberculous chylothorax is 6%, and bilateral chylothorax has a higher mortality with a poor prognosis. A previously well 28-year-old male with a household contact history of tuberculosis exposure presented with a 1-month history of shortness of breath, fever, pleuritic chest pain, and constitutional symptoms. He was found to have bilateral chylothorax, generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, and miliary nodules in chest x-ray. Sputum acid-fast bacilli, pleural fluid TB PCR (Tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction) and culture became negative. Sputum culture became positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis at 6 weeks. He had marked clinical and radiological improvement within 2 months of starting anti-tuberculosis treatment. Diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis is difficult as pleural fluid acid-fast bacilli detection has poor sensitivity. It is important to consider tuberculosis in patients with chylothorax and initiate prompt treatment.