Case reports
Chylothorax in a child with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis
Abstract
Chylothorax is rare in children. Only a few cases of tuberculosis (TB)-associated chylothorax have been reported. We present a child on standard four-drug TB treatment who presented with wheezing and a chylothorax. Bronchoscopy showed caseating lymph nodes, and rifampicin-resistant TB was identified from the bronchoalveolar lavage specimen. There was marked clinical and radiological improvement 1 month after starting multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB treatment and steroids. The association of chylothorax and MDR-TB has not been described in children. MDR-TB should be considered in children who fail adherent, empirically started drug-susceptible TB treatment.
Authors' affiliations
B J McLaren, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
S Lala, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
Z Dangor, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
C Verwey, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
X Song, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
E Mate, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
C Jardine, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
T Mabasa, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
V Mammen, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Date published: 2019-09-17
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African Journal of Thoracic and Critical Care Medicine| Online ISSN: 2617-0205
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