title: [Clinical and radiological features of pulmonary tuberculosis manifested as interstitial lung diseases.].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper was to investigate the clinical and radiological features of pulmonary tuberculosis presenting as interstitial lung diseases (ILD).
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the data of cases suspected of diffuse parenchyma lung diseases at this hospital between October 2003 and October 2007. The diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis was based on epithelioid granuloma or positive acid-fast bacilli in lung biopsy and changes on serial radiographs obtained during treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The data of a series of 230 consecutive patients with suspected ILD were retrospectively analyzed. The diagnosis was confirmed by lung biopsy. Twelve patients were confirmed to have pulmonary tuberculosis. There were 5 males and 7 females with a mean age of 38 +/- 11 years (range, 17 - 68). The median course of disease in these patients was 3 months (range, 0.5 - 18 months). Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis presented with fever (11/12), cough (9/12), weight loss (7/12), dyspnea (7/12), lymphadenopathy (4/12), and splenohepatomegaly (2/12). On chest CT scan, ground-glass attenuation was identified in 4, bilateral patchy infiltration in 5, tree-in-bud appearance 1, and centrilobular lesions in 2 of the 12 patients. During the follow-up period (median, 9 month, range from 3 to 12 month), 11 patients improved, but 1 died of diabetic ketoacidosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis should be considered in suspected ILD patients presenting with fever, splenohepatomegaly and lymphadenopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Ju-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Rui-E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Xin-Lun
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Wen-Bing
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zuo-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hong-Rui
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuan-Jue
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial; D014376:Tuberculosis; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary