Gastrointestinal tuberculosis: An autopsy-based study

Tuberculosis is a disease of great relevance since it is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Gastrointestinal tuberculosis is an unusual presentation. It is defined as the involvement of any segment of the digestive tract, associated viscera, and peritoneum. The study’s main objective is to collect information from autopsies of patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal tuberculosis in a Pathology reference center in Colombia.

This is a retrospective and descriptive study of autopsy reports. A total of 4,500 autopsies were performed between January 2004 and December 2020. The inclusion criteria were authorization of a family member following local law regulations and a final autopsy diagnosis of gastrointestinal tuberculosis using microscopic visualization.

Forty-eight patients with gastrointestinal tuberculosis autopsies were included in our study. Most of the patients were male (n = 35, 72.9%) with a median age of 40.5 years old. Human immunodeficiency virus infection history was reported in 28 cases (58.33%). The most affected gastrointestinal tract site was the terminal ileum. Ulcers and thickened epithelium were common autopsies macroscopic findings. Tuberculosis multiorgan compromise was a relevant finding in patients with gastrointestinal tuberculosis.

Gastrointestinal tuberculosis is a disease of great importance, being its diagnosis a clinical challenge. Underdiagnosis can be reported in a high percentage of cases, so autopsy diagnosis can help reveal more accurate data about this condition.