Survival of a patient with pancytopenia and disseminated coagulation associated with miliary tuberculosis.

A 56-year-old man with histologically and bacteriologically proved disseminated tuberculosis in association with pancytopenia responded to antituberculosis chemotherapy with bacteriologic cure of his tuberculosis and concomitant resolution of the pancytopenia. This association has been generally believed to have a nearly 100 percent mortality. In addition, the patient developed laboratory evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The single and simultaneous occurrence of these two hematologic abnormalities is extremely rare. A number of factors possibly relating to the development of pancytopenia and DIC in conjunction with miliary tuberculosis are briefly discussed.