Key result
Disseminated TB triggers fatal pericardial effusion in an HIV patient with an anterior mediastinal mass.
Why the study?
Anterior mediastinal masses in immunocompromised patients with HIV may represent atypical presentations of tuberculosis requiring clinical awareness.
Case Report (n=1)
This case highlights the importance of considering tuberculosis as a potential etiology for anterior mediastinal masses in immunocompromised patients.
May warrant TB consideration in HIV-related mediastinal masses; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
We report an atypical case of an anterior mediastinal mass in a 36-year-old female with HIV and previous hospitalization due to left-side chest pain and breathlessness. The patient presented with a cough, expectoration, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue. Laboratory tests revealed relevant findings, including low hemoglobin, low CD4 count, and a hyperechoic lesion in segment 5 of the liver. USG-guided aspiration of fluid from the mass was negative for fungal elements, but AFB culture showed acid-fast bacilli. Surgical excision of the mass was denied due to the patient's unfit status, and she died two weeks later due to pericardial effusion associated with tuberculosis and HIV. This case highlights the importance of considering tuberculosis as a potential complication in immunocompromised patients with anterior mediastinal masses.
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Bathula et al. (2024) conducted a case report in Anterior mediastinal mass in HIV with disseminated tuberculosis (n=1). USG-guided aspiration was evaluated on Death. A 36-year-old female with HIV and an anterior mediastinal mass died from pericardial effusion associated with disseminated tuberculosis two weeks after presentation.
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