Patients with tuberculosis occurred in the same family and admitted to our hospital from January, 1982 to October, 1986 were subjected to the study, and motives of detection chest X-ray findings, results of sputum examination, coverage of family contact circumstances in examination, delay in diagnosis, were investigated in 32 cases from 15 families.
1) Most frequent combination of patients was parent and child. Many secondary patients were of younger generation, and 10 out of 17 were below 20 years of age.
2) The interval from the discovery of the index case to the detection of second patients was within 3 months in 10 cases, within 6 months in 4 and within 12 months in 3.
3) Motives of discovery were symptomatic visit in all the index case, and in the secondary cases symptomatic visit in 8, family contact examination in 7 and examination at work place in 2.
4) 13 out of 15 index cases proved to be smearpositive, and 12 discharged a large amount bacilli (Gaffky No.4 or more).
5) 13 out of 15 index cases were cavitary tuberculosis.
6) Examinees of family contact examination were 12 out of 17 (70.6%), of which 6 were discovered at the initial examination and 1 at the 2nd examination. There were 5 patients who were diagnosed as ‘healthy’ at the family contact examination and developed symptoms several months later.
7) In 50% of cases, diagnosis of tuberculosis was made until 1.5 month after appearance of symptoms, and in 80% until 5 months.
