The Clinical Characteristics, Diagnosis, Treatment, And Outcomes Of Patients With Tuberculosis At A Private University Hospital In Korea

Background : Even though tuberculosis (TB) is still a major public concern in Korea, there is little data on the management of TB patients and its outcomes in the private sector. This study evaluated the status of TB treatment in the private sector.Methods : Sixteen-hundred-sixty-six TB patients who were notified in a private university hospital from 2001 to 2002 were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into pulmonary (TBP), extrapulmonary (TBE), and combined (TBP+E) groups, and were also divided into initial and retreatment groups. The clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods, treatment regimens, and outcomes were analyzed and compared.Results : The mean age of the 1,666 patients was 48.9 years and the male-to-female ratio was1.3:1. The number of patients in the initial and retreatment groups of TBP, and those of (TBE + TBP+E) were 809, 276, 480, 101, respectively. A bacteriological study was performed in 92.0% of cases, and a positive culture was confirmed in 58.1% and 31.7% of patients with TBP and (TBE + TBP+E), respectively (p< 0.05). The AFB smear was positive in 45.4 % of the TBP patients. PCR was carried out in 60.4% of the (TBE + TBP+E) group. The MDR was detected in 14.0% of isolates. Overall, the treatment completion, default, and death rates were 70.2%, 13.5% and 1.9%, respectively.Conclusion : Even though the management of TB patients in a private hospital was satisfactory in terms of the national guidelines, the high default rate was is still a problem. Efforts to decrease the default rate either independently or in cooperation with the public sector will be needed.