Cervical Tuberculous Lymphadenitis as the Main Symptom Before HIV Seropositive Status is Confirmed-Report of Four Cases

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB), an important and common opportunistic infection in patients with HIV infection/AIDS, can occur at any stage of HIV infection. Unlike the United States and Africa, the impact of HIV infection on the prevalence of tuberculosis has not been emphasized in Taiwan. Nevertheless, we encountered four patients in whom cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis was their main early symptom, and HIV infection was later diagnosed. It is important in clinical medicine and public health to know that many HIV carriers are among the crowds of patients with tuberculosis. In other words, when a patient presents with a neck mass in conjunction with any HIV-infection risk factors or immunodeficiency symptoms, HIV-related lymphadenopathy must be included in the differ-ential diagnoses. We propose that serologic tests for HIV infection be performed in patients with tuberculous lymphadenitis espe-cially in those with known risk factors of HIV. In this way, patients who have been coinfected with tuberculosis and HIV can be discovered and treated at an early stage.