[Gastrointestinal tuberculosis: a deceptive disease]

Abstract

Incidence of tuberculosis has increased in the Netherlands in recent years, especially among immigrants. Nearly half of all patients with tuberculosis have extrapulmonary disease; in 5% of these patients it is localized in the gastrointestinal tract. Despite the low incidence of gastrointestinal tuberculosis we recently established this diagnosis in three of our patients, who demonstrated tuberculosis within the oesophagus, colon and pancreas, respectively. They were successfully treated, but only after a long diagnostic process.