Summary

We report two singular cases of sudden death in which the cause was advanced tuberculosis infection. In the first case, a 24-year-old man died suddenly following massive hemoptysis due to erosion of the pulmonary vessels. The second case involved a 29-year-old man who died unexpectedly from asphyxia secondary to hemoptysis caused by fibrocavitatory tuberculosis. Toxicological screening and HIV testing were negative in both cases. Medico-legal autopsy, combined with detailed histological examination, was essential to determine the exact cause of death.

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Authors

Rosanna Zamparese - Legal Medicine Unit, Ascoli Piceno Hospital C-G. Mazzoni, Viale Degli Iris 13, 63100 Ascoli Piceno, Italy

Margherita Neri - Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Public Health Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy

Giovanni Tossetta - Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy

Massimo Senati - Legal Medicine Unit, Ascoli Piceno Hospital C-G. Mazzoni, Viale Degli Iris 13, 63100 Ascoli Piceno, Italy

Francesco Brandimarti - Legal Medicine Unit, Ascoli Piceno Hospital C-G. Mazzoni, Viale Degli Iris 13, 63100 Ascoli Piceno, Italy

Francesca Licitra - Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy

Dario Piombino Mascali - Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Lithuania

Ginevra Malta - Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Childcare, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties 7 (PROMISE), University of Palermo, 90129 Palermo, Italy;

Angelo Montana - Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, University Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, 12 Italy

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Copyright (c) 2026 Società Italiana di Anatomia Patologica e Citopatologia Diagnostica, Divisione Italiana della International Academy of Pathology

How to Cite
Rosanna Zamparese, Margherita Neri, Giovanni Tossetta, Massimo Senati, Francesco Brandimarti, Francesca Licitra, Piombino Mascali, D. ., Ginevra Malta, & Montana, A. (2026). Histological insights into sudden, unexpected death due to tuberculosis: two autopsy case reports and review of the literature. Pathologica - Journal of the Italian Society of Anatomic Pathology and Diagnostic Cytopathology, 118(2). https://doi.org/10.32074/1591-951X-1804
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