ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of the more common forms of extrapulmonary Tuberculosis (TB). Diagnosis of extrapulmonary TB can be challenging given the nonspecific clinical presentations, difficulty in obtaining specimens for testing, and variable sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests. The chapter reviews the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of the more common forms of extrapulmonary TB. A nationwide cohort study in Denmark from 1997 to 2008 reported that all-cause and cause-specific mortality were higher among adults with pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB than the general population. A total of 8291 patients were assessed including 6402 with pulmonary TB and 1889 with extrapulmonary disease. Diagnosis of extrapulmonary TB can be challenging due to the nonspecific symptoms and signs of disease, the challenge of obtaining appropriate fluid and tissue for diagnostic testing, and variable sensitivities and specificities of diagnostic tests.
