In an unusual case, a 21-year-old Yemeni woman was successfully treated for a rare TB that affects that eye.
Ocular TB is an infection by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in any part of the eye.
The woman, who suffered weight loss and fever, has resumed her daily routine. The patient was treated at Apollo Spectra, a multi-speciality hospital in Pune.
The young woman, who is a lab-technician student, was jolted out of her usual routine due to a sudden fever and a massive weight loss of 14 kg spanning over three months.
She felt extremely weak and was unable to do her daily activities with ease. She was treated for viral infections in local hospitals several times. Her family members panicked and consulted various doctors in Yemen. They finally decided to fly to India.
“The patient came to us with complaints of weight loss and fever. Apart from this, she was healthy. A detailed investigation to find out the cause of weight loss was done and all reports were normal. The patient was evaluated for genetic diseases and autoimmune diseases which came out negative. She was further sent for an eye check-up as one of the rare causes of weight loss is tuberculosis in the eyes,” said Dr Samrat Shah, Internal Medicine Expert, Apollo Spectra.
The eye examination showed the presence of multiple granulomas which can be seen in tuberculosis and genetic diseases. Hence TB skin test, TB assay and blood test for genetic disease were done and she tested positive for tuberculosis.
“The patient started on medication as per the TB protocol and was sent back to Yemen. The patient regularly followed up on telemedicine consultation and in coordination with local doctors,” said Dr Shah.
“The patient came back to India after three months and gained 8 kg and had no fever for the last two-and-a-half-months,” said the doctor.
“My world came crashing down when I came to know about TB in my eyes. I was shocked to hear this. I was aware that TB affects the lungs but didn’t know about the eyes. I was scared and didn’t understand how to react. What if TB robs my vision? Will I be able to see properly? These were some of the questions that bothered me,” the patient said, thanking the doctors.