A misleading appearance of a common disease: tuberculosis with generalized lymphadenopathy—a case report

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis is a common illness for vulnerable populations in resource-limited settings. Lymph nodes in tuberculosis represent the most frequent extra-pulmonary form of tuberculosis in children, but lymph nodes are rarely generalized and large. We report an atypical pediatric case of tuberculosis with lymphadenopathy. Patient concerns and findings: A two-year-old child with severe acute malnutrition presented with painless, generalized, and excessively large nodes which were not compressive and were without fistula. Main diagnoses, interventions, outcomes: Fine needle aspiration was performed and led to the detection of lymph node granulomatous lymphadenitis suggestive of tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: The child was immediately initiated on anti-tuberculosis therapy with a very successful outcome. Clinicians should be aware of atypical manifestations such as the one we describe in the interest of swift diagnosis and initiation of treatment.