Pulmonary tuberculosis presenting with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): A case report and review of literature

Tuberculosis is a very highly prevalent disease particularly in the developing world. In India one person dies of tuberculosis every minute. It can be a differential diagnosis of any disease ranging from infections to malignancies. But tuberculosis as a primary cause of respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation is an uncommon occurrence. Among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, those with miliary or disseminated disease or having comorbidities like acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are especially prone to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We present a case of a young female with no comorbidities or immuno suppression who presented with ARDS to us. We initially managed with mechanical ventilation and broad spectrum antibiotics, but there was no improvement. Only after anti tubercular therapy (ATT) and corticosteroids the patient recovered.