Background: Tuberculosis is currently the world�s leading cause of death arising\nfrom a single infectious condition. While T cell mediated immunity is\nrecognized to have a major contribution to tuberculosis activation, the present\ninvestigation confirmed that TB was more prevalent among patients with\nacute myeloid rather than lymphoid leukemia and such association was frequently\noverlooked. The primary objective of this study is to estimate the diagnostic\ndelay of tuberculosis among patients with acute myeloid leukemia\n(AML) and compare it to the general population in Qatar. Secondary objective\nis to study the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of tuberculosis in\npatients with AML. Methods: This is a retrospective study of tuberculosis cases\ndiagnosed in subjects with AML during the period from January 2008 till\nDecember 2016. Results: Among 215 subjects with AML identified during the\nstudy period, 12 (5.58%) received the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The estimated\nincidence of tuberculosis among AML cases was 7.14 cases per 1000 per year.\nThe mean delay in diagnosis of tuberculosis was 64.2 days (95% CI: 26.8 -\n101.5) and the median was 45 days (interquartile range; Q1 - Q3, 29.5 - 97.5).\nProlonged fever was the most common presentation (100% of cases). Parenchymal\nlung involvement was the most common radiologic abnormality\n(83.3% of cases). Three patients (25%) died and 8 patients completed 9 to 12\nmonths of anti-tuberculous treatment with clinical and radiological remission.\nConclusion: Infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis are not uncommon in patients with AML especially in patients from tuberculosis endemic\nregions. It constitutes a diagnostic challenge so high index of suspicion\nis of paramount importance.
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