title: Colonic tuberculosis or Crohn's disease? An important differential diagnosis.
abstract: Abdominal tuberculosis can mimic any disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract such as infectious processes, tumors, periappendiceal abscess, and Crohn's disease. The differential diagnosis of Crohn's disease and intestinal tuberculosis is a dilemma to clinicians and pathologists as both are chronic granulomatous disorders with similar clinical features. Lower gastrointestinal bleeding is an infrequent presentation of both intestinal tuberculosis and Crohn's disease. Herein, we report a 56-year-old woman presenting with massive hematochezia due to isolated colon tuberculosis in whom the initial diagnostic work-up suggested Crohn's disease and review the current literature. Our report highlights the need for awareness of colonic tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of massive hematochezia from Crohn's disease, especially before initiating treatment with immunosuppressive agents.
authors: Türkiye Yüksek Ihtisas Hospital, Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Arhan
authors: Aydin Seref
authors: AS
authors: Köksal
authors: Yasemin
authors: Y
authors: Ozin
authors: Z Mesut Yalin
authors: ZM
authors: Kiliç
authors: Bilge
authors: B
authors: Tunç
authors: Aysel
authors: A
authors: Ulker
mesh_terms: D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014385:Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*