Clinical Characteristics of Nursing- and Healthcare-Associated Tuberculosis.

Abstract

Tuberculosis remains a serious health problem worldwide. Patients with tuberculosis who also require nursing care due to aging and underlying diseases are considered to have a high mortality rate; however, there are few studies describing detailed examinations of such disease conditions.

OBJECTIVE:

The present study was conducted to investigate differences in clinical features of elderly tuberculosis patients according to the levels of nursing and healthcare required.

DESIGN:

The study participants included 146 elderly (≥65 years) patients diagnosed with active tuberculosis among patients hospitalized with tuberculosis at a single center. The patients were classified into two groups: a nursing- and healthcare-associated tuberculosis group (n = 71) and a community-acquired tuberculosis group (n = 75).

RESULTS:

The nursing- and healthcare-associated tuberculosis patients were older and had a higher frequency of comorbidities compared with the community-acquired tuberculosis group. Patients in the nursing- and healthcare-associated tuberculosis group had markedly lower levels of serum albumin and hemoglobin, and higher levels of C-reactive protein. The rate of in-hospital death was significantly higher in the nursing- and healthcare-associated tuberculosis group. This was attributed to malnutrition and comorbid conditions rather than the severity of tuberculosis.

CONCLUSION:

The prognosis was poor in elderly tuberculosis patients receiving nursing and healthcare.

• Authors: Toshitaka Suzuki, Tatsuo Kato, Ryoko Ohnishi, Shigeo Yasuda, Kimiyasu Sano, Yohei Shirakami, Masahito Shimizu, Nobuo Murakami
• Journal: Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) (Diseases) Vol. 6 Issue 4 (Nov 11 2018) ISSN: 2079-9721 [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 30423855 (Publication Type: Journal Article)