Abstract
Background: Annually, numerous cases of pulmonary tuberculosis are being referred to Public-Private Mixed DOTS (PPMD), and in most instances, they are of sputum smear-negative type. Clinicians need to decide when to initiate empiric anti-Koch's treatment based only on symptoms and radiographic findings, as a delay in the commencement of treatment could cause further transmission of the disease. Thus, an advocacy, heralded by a TB diagnostic committee, of treating smear-negative patients suspected of having active TB disease was started.
Study objective: To recognize the clinical, radiographic, and demographic profiles of all sputum smear-negative patients with symptomatic PTB enrolled in the Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course program of St. Paul Hospital-Iloilo (DOTS-SPH) from January 2008 to June 2009.
Design: Retrospective descriptive study
Setting: PPMD (DOTS-SPH) in Iloilo City
Patients: Total of 74, symptomatic, smear-negative TB patients enrolled in DOTS-SPH was included in the study.
Results: About half (51.4%) of the patients included in the study were females, mostly young adults (31.1%) in their productive years, residing in the urban areas (73.0%). Patients presented with cough (85.1%), backpain (64.9%), weight loss of >10% (44.6%), easy fatigability (44.6%), and chest pain (43.2%). The most common radiographic finding is the presence of an apical/upper lobe infiltrates (79.7%).
Conclusion: Most patients presented with at least 3 or more constitutional symptoms, cough being the most common. The initiation of anti-Koch's medications relies mostly on chest radiographic findings and symptomatology of patients.
- © 2011 ERS