To be or not TB

Thyroid. 2008 Jan;18(1):77-80. doi: 10.1089/thy.2007.0146.

Abstract

A 20-year-old Somali woman presented with a tender, enlarging neck mass in the setting of weight loss and tachycardia. This was initially thought to be a thyroid storm. On further investigation, she had suppurative thyroiditis from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This case illustrates a high prevalence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in foreign-born individuals and the necessity to consider TB in the differential diagnosis of an enlarging neck mass.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / pathogenicity
  • Thyroid Crisis / diagnosis*
  • Thyroid Gland / diagnostic imaging
  • Thyroid Gland / microbiology
  • Thyroid Gland / pathology
  • Thyroiditis, Suppurative / diagnosis*
  • Thyroiditis, Suppurative / microbiology
  • Tuberculosis / diagnosis*
  • Tuberculosis / microbiology
  • Ultrasonography