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Tuberculosis extrapulmonar

Last reviewed: 14 Aug 2025
Last updated: 01 Nov 2024

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • presencia de factores de riesgo
  • agrandamiento de ganglios linfáticos
  • dolor torácico pleurítico
  • dolor esquelético
  • síntomas urinarios
  • hinchazón abdominal
  • dolor abdominal
  • cefalea
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • tos
  • alteración del estado mental
  • síntomas neurológicos
  • hepatomegalia
  • exploración física de tórax anómala
  • fiebre
  • pérdida de peso mayor al 10% del peso corporal
  • anorexia
  • malestar general
  • sudores nocturnos
  • disnea
  • asintomático
  • eritema nodoso y eritema indurato
Full details

Risk factors

  • exposición a la tuberculosis (TB)
  • personas nacidas en Asia, América Latina o África
  • Infección por VIH
  • medicamentos inmunosupresores
  • neoplasia maligna hematológica o de cabeza/cuello
  • nefropatía terminal
  • fibrosis apical
  • consumo de drogas ilícitas por vía intravenosa
  • sexo femenino
  • etnias asiáticas, de raza negra y de indígenas norteamericanos
  • desnutrición
  • alcoholismo
  • diabetes
  • cirrosis
  • instituciones de alto riesgo
  • bajo nivel socioeconómico
  • edad muy temprana
Full details

Diagnostic investigations

1st investigations to order

  • radiografía de tórax
  • frotis de esputo
  • cultivo de esputo
  • HC (hemograma completo)
  • aspiración con aguja fina de los ganglios linfáticos
  • análisis del líquido pleural
  • análisis del líquido ascítico
  • radiografías óseas
  • análisis de líquido cefalorraquídeo
  • análisis de orina
  • prueba de amplificación de ácidos nucleicos (PAAN)
Full details

Investigations to consider

  • biopsia del ganglio linfático
  • biopsia pleural
  • biopsia sinovial
  • biopsia hepática
  • biopsia de médula ósea
  • hemocultivo
  • biopsia peritoneal
  • aspirado gástrico
  • broncoscopia
  • toracoscopia
  • prueba de susceptibilidad a fármacos
  • genotipado
  • prueba del VIH
  • ensayo de lipoarabinomanano en orina de flujo lateral (LF-LAM)
  • tratamiento empírico
  • tomografía computarizada (TC) de tórax o abdomen
  • ultrasonido de abdomen
  • colonoscopia
  • análisis del líquido pericárdico
  • biopsia pericárdica
  • pruebas cutáneas de la tuberculina
  • determinación de la liberación de interferón gamma
  • Pruebas cutáneas basadas en el antígeno de la tuberculosis (TBST)
Full details

Treatment algorithm

INITIAL

infección de TB latente: no embarazada

infección latente de TB: embarazada

ACUTE

TB activa: no embarazada, VIH negativo

TB activa: no embarazada, VIH positivo

TB activa: embarazada

Contributors

Authors

David J. Horne, MD, MPH
David J. Horne

Associate Professor

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine

University of Washington

Seattle

WA

Disclosures

DJH declares that he has no competing interests.

Masahiro Narita, MD
Masahiro Narita

Professor of Medicine

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine

University of Washington

Co-Founder

Firland Northwest TB Center

Seattle

WA

Disclosures

MN declares that he has no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Carlos Acuña-Villaorduña, MD

Infectious Diseases Physician

Boston University Medical Center

Boston

MA

Disclosures

CA-V declares that he has no competing interests.

James Shepherd, V

Infectious Disease Consultant

Yale University School of Medicine

New Haven

CT

Disclosures

JS declares that he has no competing interests.

Peer reviewer acknowledgements

BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.

Disclosures

Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

World Health Organization. WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis: module 5: management of tuberculosis in children and adolescents. Sep 2022 [internet publication].Full text

Lewinsohn DM, Leonard MK, LoBue PA, et al. Official American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clinical practice guidelines: diagnosis of tuberculosis in adults and children. Clin Infect Dis. 2017 Jan 15;64(2):e1-33.Full text  Abstract

Nahid P, Dorman SE, Alipanah N, et al. Official American Thoracic Society/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Infectious Diseases Society of America clinical practice guidelines: treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis. Clin Infect Dis. 2016 Oct 1;63(7):e147-95.Full text  Abstract

World Health Organization. WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis: tuberculosis preventive treatment. Module 1: prevention. 2020 [internet publication].Full text

Nahid P, Mase SR, Migliori GB, et al. Treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis. An official ATS/CDC/ERS/IDSA clinical practice guideline. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019 Nov 15;200(10):e93-142.Full text  Abstract

National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV Medicine Association, and Infectious Diseases Society of America. Panel on guidelines for the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections in adults and adolescents with HIV. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease. May 2024 [internet publication].Full text

World Health Organization. WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis: module 4: treatment: drug-susceptible tuberculosis treatment. May 2022 [internet publication].Full text

World Health Organization. WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis, module 4: treatment - drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment, 2022 update. Dec 2022 [internet publication].Full text  Abstract

British HIV Association. British HIV Association guidelines for the management of tuberculosis in adults living with HIV 2018 (2023 interim update). 2023 [internet publication].Full text

Reference articles

A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.
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