Pulmonary tuberculosis presenting as acute respiratory distress syndrome

Abstract

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) may present in the form of parenchymal disease or extraparenchymal disease. Patients with TB as a primary cause of respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation have been reported to have mortality rates ranging between 47% and 80%. However, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as a presentation of TB is rarely reported. We describe two cases of immunocompetent women presenting with ARDS. They were initially worked up for viral aetiologies in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but were later diagnosed to have microbiologically proven parenchymal pulmonary TB. One of our patients succumbed to nosocomial pneumonia, while the other was discharged to follow-up.