抄録
Thickness of subcutaneous fat (T. S. F.) of tuberculosis patients were measured at 36 different regions of body by means of Martin's compass calipers. The results were as follows:
1) T. S. F. of TB patients were thinner than the normal average of T. S. F., at both ex-tensor-side and flexor-side of extremities. At the back of trunk, there were no differences between TB patients group and normal group, while at the abdominal side, the T. S. F. of TB patients were thinner than the normal average.
2) T. S. F., especially at the back side of trunk and the proximal regions of extremities, of severer cases were thinner than those of slighter cases of TB patients.
3) T. S. F., especially at the abdominal side of trunk (near navel) and at the proximal regions of legs, of TB patients under occupational therapy were thinner than these of mild cases under rest therapy. Boad of working may be considered as a cause of the difference.
4) The ratio of the sum of the T. S. F. at six regions of abdominal side to that of dorsal side of trunk was 0.597 in case of severer tuberculosis and 0.553 in case of milder ones. In the patients under occupational therapy, the ratio was 0.446, which is almost equal to that of normal average(0.451). These shall be significantly related to the degree of rest(1 % lever.)
5) Regions, at which the deviations of T. S. F. were remarkable, were abdominal side (especially near navel), dorsal side of trurk and the flexor side of leg.
6) Corelations between the T. S. F. (measured near navel) and clinical items such as the degree of rest, cough, amount of sputum, body weights. blood sedimentation rate, vital capacity and excretion of tubercle bacilli were also investigated. The T. S. F. of TB patients were significantly related to the amount of sputum and body weight, while no relationships were found between the T. S. F. and the other items.
