[Adult respiratory distress syndrome and military tuberculosis (author's transl)]

A patient with miliary tuberculosis developed the adult respiratory distress syndrome. The diagnosis of tuberculosis was not made especially because of several negative bacteriological examinations and of initial radiological aspects. Patient died of respiratory failure complicated with disseminated intravascular coagulation. This straightens the hypothesis of a physiopathological relationship between the two syndromes. The necessity of anti-tuberculous therapy should be evocated in every situation of adult respiratory distress syndrome of unknown origin.