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Sudden Death: The Unseen Danger of Tuberculosis

Ganesh Rajahan, Syed Affridh, Venkatesan M., Sneha S., Priyadarshee Pradhan

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Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 19(2):p 174-178, April - June 2026. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijfmp.0974.3383.19226.8

How Cite This Article:

Syed Affridh, Ganesh Rajahan, Venkatesan M. et al. Sudden Death: The Unseen Danger of Tuberculosis. Indian J Forensic Med Pathol. 2026; 19(2): 174-178.

Timeline

Received : March 24, 2026         Accepted : April 26, 2026          Published : June 30, 2026

Abstract

Tuberculosis still remains a major global health problem, especially in developing countries. Death and prevalence of tuberculosis has been reported worldwide. Tuberculosis usually presents primarily as lung disease with dissemination to the intestines increasing its morbidity. But the challenging part is its vague symptoms. Sudden death following intestinal TB is rare. A case involving a 24-year-old woman was received unconscious at the emergency department with compliants of severe stomach pain and vomiting. Despite resuscitative measures, she was declared dead. The postmortem examination revealed a white, cheese-like area at the apex of her right lung. Thickened dark tissue noted over the ileocecal junction. Histopathology confirmed tuberculosis in both lungs and intestines. Intestinal obstruction was noted at the site of TB involvement. This case highlights the importance of recognizing severe forms of intestinal tuberculosis This case underlines the vital role of precise medicolegal autopsy and complete histopathological examination in identifying hidden causes of sudden death.


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Data Sharing Statement

There are no additional data available. All raw data and code are available upon request.

Funding

This research received no funding.

Author Contributions

All authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication.

Ethics Declaration

This article does not involve any human or animal subjects, and therefore does not require ethics approval.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to the patients, their families, and all those who have contributed to this study.

Conflicts of Interest

No conflicts of interest in this work.


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Cite this article

Syed Affridh, Ganesh Rajahan, Venkatesan M. et al. Sudden Death: The Unseen Danger of Tuberculosis. Indian J Forensic Med Pathol. 2026; 19(2): 174-178.


Licence:

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.



Received Accepted Published
March 24, 2026 April 26, 2026 June 30, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijfmp.0974.3383.19226.8

Keywords

TuberculosisSudden deathIntestinal TBIntestinal obstruction

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Received March 24, 2026
Accepted April 26, 2026
Published June 30, 2026

licence


Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.



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