https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2023.2625
Paradoxical reaction in peripheral lymph node tuberculosis: a review for its prevalence, clinical characteristics, and possible treatment
Submitted: May 5, 2023
Accepted: September 27, 2023
Published: October 3, 2023
Accepted: September 27, 2023
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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The paradoxical reaction (PR) is a transient worsening following tuberculosis treatment and it is not uncommon in lymph node tuberculosis (LNTB). PR in LNTB maybe wrongly considered as treatment failure or relapse. This review was undertaken to address various aspects of PR associated with lymph node tuberculosis prevalence, underlying mechanism, clinical pattern, predictors, and possible treatment in an immunocompetent individual. A literature review was performed using various databases (PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar) to identify relevant articles for review. The prevalence of paradoxical reactions associated with LNTB varies from as low as 13.3% to as high as 35.3% PR may occur during antitubercular treatment or be reported even after completion of treatment called post-therapy PR. An onset of PR may occur within a month of therapy to even 12 months from the initiation of an anti-tubercular drug. Delayed hypersensitivity reaction and reduction in immune suppression is believed to be possible mechanism leading to a paradoxical reaction. PR in LNTB is characterized by either progression of pre-existing nodal enlargement or formation of abscess, sinus formation, or appearance of new nodal enlargement or rarely extra-nodal involvement. PR is a diagnosis of exclusion and may show granuloma, positive AFB smear, or positive GeneXpert but AFB culture is always negative. Younger age, lymph node size of equal to or more than 3 cm, female gender, unilateral lymphadenopathy, and those with positive AFB on initial examination are predictors for PR in peripheral LNTB. The majority of PR in LNTB have a mild course and are generally self-limited.
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How to Cite
Rai, Deependra Kumar, Surya Kant, and Vatsal Bhushan Gupta. 2023. “Paradoxical Reaction in Peripheral Lymph Node Tuberculosis: A Review for Its Prevalence, Clinical Characteristics, and Possible Treatment”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease, October. https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2023.2625.
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