Abstract
Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health concern worldwide. Previous reports have shown that patients with smear-negative pulmonary TB could transmit TB to others. Whereas it is a common practice to obtain a chest X-ray (CXR) for all patients with extrapulmonary TB (EPTB), sputum examinations are typically limited to those with abnormal radiographic findings suggestive of pulmonary TB.
Objective: Is to assess the prevalence of pulmonary involvement in patients with EPTB.
Methods: The present study included 120 patients proved to have EPTB. Patients were subjected to symptoms review, full clinical examination, chest X-ray, and sputum examination for acid fast bacilli (AFB) by direct smear and culture.
Results: The mean age of the patients included in the study was 34.42±13.43 years with gender distribution of 40% males to 60% females. All patients had histopathological confirmation of having tuberculosis while culture for mycobacterium TB was positive in 41.7% (50 patients) and direct smear examination for acid fast bacilli was positive in only 1.7% (2 patients). Abnormal CXR was detected in 31 patients (25.8%) regardless of the original disease, while sputum culture for mycobacterium TB was positive in 35 patients (29.2%). Although there was no statistical difference between CXR and sputum culture, the crude number was higher in sputum culture. Direct sputum examination was positive in only 6 patients (5%).
Conclusion: The prevalence of pulmonary affection in EPTB is significant. The sputum culture for mycobacterium TB is crucial to reach the diagnosis especially in patients with normal CXR or negative direct smear.
- © 2011 ERS
