A DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH TO ASSESS THE TUBERCULOSIS (TB) INCIDENCE IN CERVICAL LYMPHADENOPATHY THROUGH VARIOUS DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS

Objectives: We aimed to identify tuberculosis (TB) incidence in the features of patients and cervical lymphadenopathy.

Methodology: We conducted this descriptive research at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore from March 2016 to August 2017 at Surgical Unit. We included both male and female of more than twelve years of age diagnosed with cervical lymphadenopathy. Lymph Nodes FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) and excision biopsy performed in all the patients besides physical assessment, ESR, detailed history and haematological assessment.

Results: Our research included total 180 enlarged lymph nodes patients from the male and female population. A total of 124 patients (68.88%) were in the age group of under thirty years; whereas, remaining 56 patients (32.22%) were more than the age of thirty years with tuberculosis (TB) lymphadenitis incidence in 137 patients (76.11%). The researcher also reported reactive hyperplasia in 21 patients (11.66%), non-specific chronic lymphadenitis in 16 patients (8.88%), non-specific chronic lymphoma in 05 patients (2.77%) and cervical lymph nodes metastasis in one case (0.55%). Raised ESR and FNAC values were respectively 26.66% and 87.77%. A maximum number of the patients were related to the poor stature of the society (119 patients). The research included 97 males (53.8%) and 83 females (46.2%) with a dominance of male population over female population. Majority of the patients (14%) presented constitutional symptoms with mostly repeated lymphadenopathy site were posterior neck triangle, eight bilateral and five submandibular enlarged lymph nodes cases. About 76.11% patients reported for the repeated incidence of tuberculosis cervical lymphadenopathy. The effectiveness of the FNAC tool confirmed in 87.77% with 36 patients having raised ESR (26.27%) having cervical lymphadenopathy TB through chest X-Ray in five patients (3.64%). An uncommon history was found in 137 patients; whereas, 119 cases were of poor status (86.86%).

Conclusion: Most involved disease in the incidence of Lymph Nodes was Tuberculosis (TB) in males and females especially from the lower socioeconomic circle of society. Haematological outcomes were not confirmed in a number of FNAC patients; whereas, few of the patients also required lymph node biopsy.

Keywords: Chronic, Non-Specific, Tuberculosis (TB), Lymphadenopathy, Cervical and Nodes.