I had abdominal tuberculosis in the past, and now I have diarrhea and cramps. Is it TB again?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 21-year-old boy. Two and a half years ago, I got so weak by regular diarrhea (that last for six months), before that, my weight dropped to 47 kg. After visiting several doctors, I was finally diagnosed with abdominal tuberculosis. So the doctor started my medications course that lasted for 18 months. From day one of the course, I no longer had diarrhea, and I felt a lot better and gained some weight. Now from the last six months, I am facing diarrhea a lot. I ignored it for a long time, and now it worries me because, for the previous week, I feel weak, and a lot of diarrhea (after every meal) and cramps with abdominal pain, and feel very uncomfortable most of the time. Is it the TB again? Because most of the time, it is because of consuming milk (even in tea), even with soft drinks or spices. I was taking Isoniazid. What should I do?

I am looking forward to hearing from an expert.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Well, it does seem to be TB (tuberculosis) again, most probably multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). So less likely, it is a relapse. If you have a fever and weight loss, similar intensity pain, and diarrhea as it was two and a half years back, you can think of relapse. Secondarily, there are certain abdominal conditions, namely Crohn's disease, that present in the same way as tuberculosis. This should be ruled out by comparative evaluation by seeing the previous reports of yours two and a half years back. The other possible explanation if you have not been losing weight is irritable bowel syndrome, for that you can try Tablet Mebeverine 200 mg (antispasmodic) twice daily.