title: [Crohn's disease or intestinal tuberculosis: a diagnostic challenge].
abstract: Distinguishing intestinal tuberculosis from Crohn disease is difficult and can result in misdiagnosis, especially when active pulmonary infection is absent. A 13-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital with a 2-month history of watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, and 12-kg weight loss. Based on clinical, radiological, endoscopic, and histological findings, she was initially misdiagnosed as having Crohn disease and treated with glucocorticosteroids, with a poor response after 4 weeks. Intestinal tuberculosis was then suspected. Improvement was observed during the 1st week of antituberculous treatment. The differentiation of intestinal tuberculosis from Crohn disease may be very difficult in some patients. A positive response to antituberculous treatment associated with clinical, endoscopic, and histological features argue in favor of the diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Service de pédiatrie, urgences et de réanimation pédiatriques, CHU Hédi Chaker, route El Aïn, Km 0,5, 3029 Sfax, Tunisie. Electronic address: abdelhedigargourilamia@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gargouri
authors.affiliation: Service de gastroentérologie, CHU Hédi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boudabous
authors.affiliation: Service de pédiatrie, urgences et de réanimation pédiatriques, CHU Hédi Chaker, route El Aïn, Km 0,5, 3029 Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Safi
authors.affiliation: Service de pédiatrie, urgences et de réanimation pédiatriques, CHU Hédi Chaker, route El Aïn, Km 0,5, 3029 Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maalej
authors.affiliation: Service d'anatomopathologie, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mnif
authors.affiliation: Service de gastroentérologie, CHU Hédi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chtourou
authors.affiliation: Service de pédiatrie, urgences et de réanimation pédiatriques, CHU Hédi Chaker, route El Aïn, Km 0,5, 3029 Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mejdoub
authors.affiliation: Service de gastroentérologie, CHU Hédi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mnif
authors.affiliation: Service de gastroentérologie, CHU Hédi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amouri
authors.affiliation: Service d'anatomopathologie, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boudawara
authors.affiliation: Service de gastroentérologie, CHU Hédi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tahri
authors.affiliation: Service de pédiatrie, urgences et de réanimation pédiatriques, CHU Hédi Chaker, route El Aïn, Km 0,5, 3029 Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahfoudh
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000293:Adolescent; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007077:Ileal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014385:Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015431:Weight Loss