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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 28, 2014; 20(40): 14831-14840
Published online Oct 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i40.14831
Abdominal tuberculosis of the gastrointestinal tract: Revisited
Uma Debi, Vasudevan Ravisankar, Kaushal Kishor Prasad, Saroj Kant Sinha, Arun Kumar Sharma
Uma Debi, Division of GE Radiology, Department of Superspeciality of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160 012, India
Vasudevan Ravisankar, Department of Radiodiagnosis, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160 012, India
Kaushal Kishor Prasad, Division of GE Histopathology, Department of Superspeciality of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160 012, India
Saroj Kant Sinha, Department of Superspeciality of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160 012, India
Arun Kumar Sharma, Division of GE Virology, Department of Superspeciality of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160 012, India
Author contributions: Debi U, Ravisankar V and Sinha SK contributed equally in generating the figures and writing the article; Sharma AK contributed in writing the article; and Prasad KK substantially contributed in writing the article, generating the figures, revising the article critically and gave final approval of the version to be published.
Correspondence to: Kaushal Kishor Prasad, MD, PDC, CFN, MAMS, FICPath, Additional Professor, Chief, Division of GE Histopathology, Department of Superspeciality of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh 160 012, India. kaushalkp10@hotmail.com
Telephone: +91-172-2756604 Fax: +91-172-2744401
Received: January 30, 2014
Revised: March 16, 2014
Accepted: June 14, 2014
Published online: October 28, 2014
Processing time: 272 Days and 5.1 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Tuberculosis has become a resurgent global problem with increasing numbers of immunocompromised patients, largely related to the global acquired immunodeficiency syndrome pandemic. The spread of the disease is further aided by poverty, overcrowding, and drug resistance. Abdominal tuberculosis rates are rising, consistent with the overall trend. Nonspecific features of the abdominal tuberculosis result in difficulty in establishing a diagnosis. After a diagnosis has been established, prompt initiation of treatment helps prevent morbidity and mortality as it is a treatable disease. This article should alert the clinician to consider abdominal tuberculosis in the correct clinical setting to ensure timely diagnosis and enable appropriate treatment.