When TB went for a man’s private parts

Dr Waihenya Githiaka explains how TB moves to the testicles. PHOTO/ISAIAH ESIPISU

By ISAIAH ESIPISU Posted Wednesday, March 24 2010 at 16:14

Two years ago, Wilson Maina contracted a disease that confused several medical experts, with most of them diagnosing it as malaria, cancer, ulcers or a combination of these.

Little did they know that he had developed tuberculosis that would later settle in his testicles, forming what experts refer to as ‘Testicular TB’.

“It all began with fever, severe headache, weak and painful joints, hot stomach and fatigue. With all these symptoms, I was convinced that I was suffering from malaria, and thus I begun on a dose of anti-malarial drugs,” said Maina, a resident of Thika town.

But after a few days of self treatment, the situation worsened, forcing him to seek medical attention.

“I went to a local clinic within Thika town, where the doctor further suggested that I had severe malaria which required specialized treatment. I was offered an injection, anti-malarial tablets and strong pain killers,” he recalled.

One month later, Maina’s health was still deteriorating, this time characterized by weight loss.

Malaria

As a result, he went back to the clinic, where he was referred to the Kenyatta National Hospital for specialized treatment.

But at the national facility, his hopes of healing were further diminished  when he was once again informed that he suffered from malaria and that he had too much acid in the body.

“They gave me more anti-malarial drugs which they said were more effective, and that I would recover immediately,” he said.

But after another month with the same symptoms, he went back to the KNH, where the healthcare providers begun suspecting that he had cancer of the abdomen (due to the continued stomach ache and related symptoms), coupled with much acid in the body.

“The possibility of having developed cancer scared him stiff,” said Maina.

However, without relenting, he decided to confirm his fears at the Thika Medical Centre.

“The doctor looked at my records, examined me, and made the same conclusion, that there was a possibility of cancerous cells developing in my stomach and that I had a lot of acid in the body. He however advised me to raise Sh7,000 for a laboratory check-up to confirm the suspicion,” he said.

By then, Maina worked as a casual labourer in the construction industry, thus Sh7,000 was a lot of money for him to raise.

However, after six months he raised the cash from friends and relatives and went for a laboratory check up.

“At that time, I had lost more weight, and I had a swelling which appeared like a boil on one of my testicles.”

When he went for the results after three days, he learnt that he had two growths, one in the stomach, and the other one on his testicle that were highly suspected to be cancerous.

But because of the new swelling on his testicle, he was referred to an urologist for further examination.

And upon visiting the expert, the doctor could not wish away the possibility of cancer, thus took a specimen for cancer screening. 

“Any other medical expert would have suspected cancer. But after we took specimen for the lab test, the possibility of cancer was ruled out, and TB was confirmed positive,” said Dr Waihenya Githiaka, a consultant surgeon and an urologist based in Nairobi and Thika.

At this time, one part of Maina’s body had been paralyzed.

“I discovered that the patient had suffered from TB of the abdomen, and the bacteria had spread to one of his testicles.

“And since the organ had been damaged badly due to the disease progression and several medications, I performed a surgery on him to clip it out, and immediately he was put on TB treatment,” said Dr Maina.

Months

The man, who was then a father of one, was enrolled into the free TB treatment scheme at the Murumba Mission Hospital in Thika for medication that would last for eight months.

“Within one month of treatment, I regained energy, the paralyzed part of the body came back to normal, and the abdominal pains eased,” said Maina, as he held the last packet of 28 TB drugs he was to take in two weeks in order to complete the dose.

However, even without one of those important organs of reproduction, he got his second baby boy with his wife four months ago.

According to Dr Joseph Sitienei, the head of Kenya’s Division of Leprosy TB and Lung Disease, TB comes in two forms; that affecting the lungs and those which attack other parts of the body.

“TB occurring in the lungs is referred to as ‘pulmonary TB’ while TB out of the lungs is called ‘Extra-Pulmonary TB’,” explained Dr Sitienei.

According to government official records as per last year, 110,016 cases of extra-Pulmonary TB had been diagnosed in Kenya, amounting to 20 per cent of all TB cases confirmed in the country.

“Among all the cases of extra-pulmonary TB, we usually achieve treatment success rates of 82 per cent, death rate of six per cent, and out of control rate of eight,” added the doctor.

Brain

Experts say that contrary to the common perception in the public that TB affects only the lungs; the truth is that the disease can easily attack any part of the body except from the hair.

The most common parts of the body affected by TB include the chest cavity, the abdomen, urinary tract systems and joints.

Source: Daily Nation