MULTIFOCAL TUBERCULOSIS COMPLICATED WITH MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION SYNDROME (MAS): A CASE REPORT

Abstract

Macrophagic activation syndrome is a rare, severe and often fatal immunological complication associated with a wide range of conditions such as: infections, cancers and auto immune diseases. We report a case of a young patient of 22 years old, admitted for acute pancreatitis in a febrile context and poor general condition. Later we confirmed the diagnosis of multifocal tuberculosis (pulmonary, ganglionic and peritoneal) complicated by Macrophagic Activation Syndrome. The diagnosis has been established upon clinical, biological and radiological criteria with a microbiological confirmation of tuberculosis. The treatment administered consisted of adapted antitubercular antibiotics and high-dose corticosteroid therapy, which lead to a favorable clinical evolution. This case report illustrates the importance of considering a Macrophagic Activation Syndrome in front of unexplained biological anomalies in a tuberculosis patient, even with no known history of immunodepression.