1985 Volume 60 Issue 4 Pages 247-253
The Research Committee for Tuberculosis, RYOKEN, conducted the cooperative study on the background factors of tuberculosis patients staying for long period in 55 hospitals or sanatoria belonging to the Committee.
First the duration of admission of pulmonary tuberculosis patients admitted in 55 institutions on June 30, 1981 was surveyed. (Part 1) Thereafter the background factors of patients staying for 3 years or more were studied. (Part 2)
The results in part 1 were summarized as follows:
1) The duration of stay of 7, 255 tuberculosis patients was less than 1 year in 65.2% and 3 years and longer in 18.6%.
2) The number of patients with positive tubercle bacilli was 467 (36.6%), and the factors related to bacilli positivity were surveyed. It was noted that the positivity was higher among cases with, far advanced lesions on X-Ray, with the duration of treatment for 5 to 10 years before admittance, 1.0-2 years with the use of RFP for 1 to 2 years and among cases in which spirometry was impossible due to impaired pulmonary function.
3) The results of sensitivity test of antituberculous drugs showed that 69% of tubercle bacilli isolated from these patients were completely resistant to RFP or INH.
4) 49.8% of these patients had respiratory complications, including empyema (10%), pulmonary emphysema (9.1%) and bronchial asthma (8.5%).
5) 43.0% of these patients had some complications other than respiratory disease, including cardiac diseases (7.8%), hypertension (7.3%), diabetes mellitus (7.5%) and liver diseases (4.6%).
6) 24.1% of cases had already been treated with surgical treatment, and among operated cases, the majority was occupied by thoracoplasty.
7) The extra-pulmonary tuberculosis was seen in 56 cases (4.4%) at the time of the survey, and most common disease was osteo-articular tuberculosis.
