A 30-year-old female presents with abdominal pain and diarrhea for the past few weeks. She has lost weight despite having a normal appetite. She immigrated from a country with high tuberculosis prevalence 2 years ago. On examination, her abdomen is distended and she has generalized tenderness. What are the potential causes, and what are the next steps?
This patient's chronic abdominal symptoms, epidemiological background, and physical examination findings raise the possibility of gastrointestinal tuberculosis. Other differentials could include inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or malabsorption syndromes. The next steps would be to perform imaging studies such as abdominal CT scan or ultrasound, and potentially endoscopy with biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.