Cardiac tamponade as a manifestation of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis has been increasing in incidence in recent years. Pericardial involvement and pericardial effusions are well-documented and may result in pericardial tamponade. Despite this, large pericardial effusions are uncommon, and manifestation as cardiac tamponade is rare. We report two cases of tuberculous pericarditis in which the initial feature was tamponade. Since the diagnosis of tuberculosis may be delayed due to the slow-growing nature of the bacterium, physicians need to be aware of this possibility and consider the use of modern diagnostic techniques that may permit an earlier diagnosis.