[Intestinal Tuberculosis As a Differential Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease]

Intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) is a rare differential diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Denmark. In the presented case, a 44-year-old native Danish man was examined for IBD symptoms. Colonoscopy and microscopy of colonic biopsies suggested IBD. The patient was started on steroid therapy, but without effect so tumour necrosis factor alpha therapy was planned. Routine interferon-gamma release assay was normal, but chest X-ray revealed an apical infiltration. New tests on the colonic biopsies using polymerase chain reaction were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the patient was treated for ITB and pulmonary tuberculosis.