The importance of tomographic findings for the diagnosis of silicotuberculosis: case report
- MOJ Clinical & Medical Case Reports
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Marcos César Santos de Castro,1 Valéria Barbosa Moreira,2 Angela Santos Ferreira Nani,1 Anna Christina Pinho de Oliveira,1 Ana Carolina Machado Guimarães Gonçalves Marques,3 David Versalli Souza,3 Luís Otávio Mocarzel4
Abstract
Silicosis is a pneumoconiosis characterized by fibrosis of the lung parenchyma caused by the inhalation of silica dust. Tuberculosis is an important and frequent infectious complication of silicosis, called silicotuberculosis. The risk of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with silicosis is up to 40 times higher when compared to the general population. As the radiological findings are similar in both diseases, the diagnosis of silicotuberculosis is not always simple. We describe the case of a patient with silicosis associated with clinical and radiological findings compatible with tuberculosis.
Keywords
silicotuberculosis, hypertension, leukogram, macrophages, silicosis
