Clinical, laboratory and evolutionary features of abdominal tuberculosis in comparison with other forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract Background/objectives Tuberculosis is a multisystem disease that might affect any organ. Abdominal tuberculosis (ABT) represents 5–17% from all extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPT) sites. We aimed to study the clinical, laboratory and evolutionary features of ABT cases and to identify predictive factors associated with ABT. Methods We conducted a retrospective study including all patients hospitalized in the infectious diseases department for EPT between 1991 and 2019. We studied the characteristics of ABT cases, and we compared them with other EPT cases. Results We identified 519 patients with EPT, among whom 86 (16.6%) patients had ABT. There were 58 females (67.4%). Peritoneal tuberculosis was the most common clinical form of ABT (68.6%), followed by intestinal tuberculosis (18.6%). Patients aged 60 years and above were significantly less affected with ABT (odds ratio (OR) = 0.2; p = 0.001). The revealing systemic symptoms including fever (OR = 2.04; p = 0.006), weight loss (OR = 2.5; p  Conclusions Anorexia and pulmonary involvement were independent predictors of higher rate of ABT. Concomitant involvement of neuro-meningeal and osteo-articular sites, 40–59 and ≥60 age groups and hemoglobin rate were independently associated with lower rate of ABT.