Abdominal Tuberculosis in Surgical Practice in Northern Nigeria

Background: Abdominal tuberculosis is a common complication of pulmonary tuberculosis. With the rising incidence of HIV, tuberculosis has become a major public health problem particularly in developing countries. Methods: This is a retrospective study involving patients whose surgical specimens were processed at the central histopathology laboratory of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria - Nigeria, between January1975 to December 2006.Results: There were 68 males and 49 females, aged 12-70 years (mean 28.6yrs 11yrs). While paroxysmal dry cough was present in about 20 patients, abdominal pain and distension were very common. Concomitant pulmonary tuberculosis was confirmed in 15 patients (14%). The findings at Surgery in 66 patients are presented in fig.2. Multiple deposits on the peritoneum and omentum were the commonest findings (48.7% and 26.2%) respectively. Conclusion: Abdominal tuberculosis is not uncommon and there is need to establish an early less invasive diagnostic protocol.Keywords: Abdominal Tuberculosis, Nigeria