Abstract
BACKGROUND: We report an extremely rare case of massive hemoptysis and complete left-sided lung collapse in pregnancy due to pulmonary tuberculosis in a health care worker with good maternal and fetal outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 33-year-old human immuno deficiency virus seronegative African health care worker in her fourth pregnancy with two previous second trimester miscarriages and an apparently healthy daughter from her third pregnancy presented coughing up copious amounts of blood at 18 weeks and two days of gestation. She had a cervical suture in situ for presumed cervical weakness. Computed tomography of her chest showed complete collapse of the left lung; subsequent bronchoscopy was apparently normal. Her serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin, tests for autoimmune disease and echocardiography were all normal. Her lung re-inflated spontaneously. Sputum for acid alcohol fast bacilli was positive; our patient was commenced on anti-tuberculosis medication and pyridoxine. At 41 weeks and three days of pregnancy our patient went into spontaneous labor and delivered a live born female baby weighing 2.6 kg with APGAR scores of nine and 10 at one and five minutes respectively. She and her baby are apparently doing well about 10 months after delivery. CONCLUSION: It is possible to have massive hemoptysis and complete unilateral lung collapse with spontaneous resolution in pregnancy due to pulmonary tuberculosis with good maternal and fetal outcome.