Genitourinary Manifestations of Tuberculosis

By the 1980s, the availability of antituberculosis chemotherapy reduced the incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis. Changing patterns of population emigration and the development of large pools of immune-compromised individuals reversed the downward trend of tuberculosis. The incidence of genitourinary tuberculosis has remained constant. The manifestations of GU TB can be variable and cause a variety of clinical patterns that mimic other diseases. Adrenal insufficiency, renal disease, obstructive uropathy, and chronic cystitis are not uncommon with TB. The patient with TB may have genital disease that simulates STD or scrotal tumors. Infertility can be caused by GU tuberculosis. Awareness of environmental factors and patient history should alert the urologist to the wide array of clinical findings in the genitourinary system that can be caused by tuberculosis.