title: [Miliary tuberculosis: unexpected autopsy finding in an elderly person].
abstract: Miliary tuberculosis is a rare disease that is difficult to diagnose because of its non-specific presentation. It should be suspected in elderly patients who complaint of failure to thrive, unexplained fatigue and weight loss. Using a clinical situation where the diagnosis was made only at autopsy, we briefly review the epidemiology of miliary tuberculosis and propose recommendations for the diagnosis and the prophylaxis of latent tuberculosis. Finally, we discuss criteria to perform epidemiological investigations among close contacts in this situation.
authors.affiliation: Service de gériatrie et réadaptation gériatrique, CUTR Sylvana, Epalinges. Benoit.Dischl@chuv.ch
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dischl
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bellini
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rochat
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Büla
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D014391:Tuberculosis, Miliary / Q000473:pathology*