TB or not TB

I arranged for the admission of my younger sister with a deep sense of apprehension. The kind medical registrar I spoke to did his best to allay my anxieties, but he too agreed that urgent admission and assessment were warranted. Over the past two to three months she had developed symptoms of weight loss, recurrent fevers and night sweats, together with bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. Examination on admission also showed the presence of splenomegaly. A series of investigations was promptly initiated.

When my parents asked what was wrong, I said that …