Rare Case of Tubercular Serpiginous-Like Choroiditis

TL;DR

This paper reports a rare case of eye inflammation caused by tuberculosis in an Indian man, successfully treated with steroids and anti-tuberculosis therapy.

Contribution

The novelty lies in documenting a rare case of tubercular serpiginous-like choroiditis in an Indian patient and its successful treatment.

Findings

The patient showed bilateral grey-yellowish subretinal infiltrates consistent with tubercular choroiditis.

Treatment with steroids and anti-TB drugs led to complete healing of the lesions.

The case highlights the importance of considering TB in diagnosing choroiditis in endemic regions.

Abstract

Serpiginous choroiditis is a rare cause of posterior uveitis, included in the spectrum of white dot syndromes. It occurs as a result of an autoimmune process but could be associated with infections such as tuberculosis (TB) (serpiginous-like choroiditis). Tubercular serpiginous-like choroiditis is more commonly reported in Southeast Asian countries than in Western countries. We report a case of an Indian male in his late 30s with bilateral grey-yellowish subretinal infiltrates at the level of choroid with active scalloped edges having a positive TB-QuantiFERON Gold test (Cellestis Limited, Carnegie, Australia), who responded well to the treatment of intravenous methylprednisolone and systemic steroids (given initially to control the acute inflammation) while on anti-tubercular (anti-TB) therapy. The lesions finally completely healed on the anti-TB therapy.

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