Table 3.
Clinical characteristics of 50 screening contacts with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and 180 patients with active tuberculosis (TB) disease
| Clinical characteristics | LTBI (n = 50) | Active TB disease (n = 180) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) (mean ± SD) | 41.6 ± 9.5 | 63.8 ± 10.6 | 0.010 |
| Sex (Male:Female) | 24:26 | 140:40 | 0.022 |
| Smoking history | 30 (60%) | 120 (67%) | 0.768 |
| Alcohol abuse history | 6 (12%) | 32 (18%) | 0.356 |
| Underlying disease | 18 (36%) | 133 (74%) | 0.035 |
| Respiratory disease | 5 (12%) | 61 (34%) | 0.038 |
| Healed pulmonary TB | 0 (0%) | 20 (11%) | 0.008 |
| COPD | 2 (4%) | 13 (7%) | 0.320 |
| Others | 4 (8%) | 28 (16%) | 0.101 |
| Nonrespiratory disease | 13 (26%) | 72 (40%) | 0.070 |
| Gastrointestinal disease | 4 (8%) | 18 (10%) | 0.755 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 3 (6%) | 15 (8%) | 0.842 |
| Cancer | 1 (2%) | 14 (8%) | 0.084 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 3 (6%) | 13 (7%) | 0.893 |
| Collagen vascular disease | 1 (2%) | 7 (4%) | 0.396 |
| Chronic renal failurea | 0 (0%) | 5 (3%) | 0.108 |
| Immunosuppressive treatmentb | 1 (2%) | 13 (10%) | 0.061 |
| Received BCG vaccination | 34 (63%) | 116 (64%) | 0.867 |
| Received TB treatment | 0 (0%) | 29 (16%) | 0.008 |
| Laboratory data | |||
| WBC count (cells/μl) | 4620 ± 543 | 4058 ± 518 | 0.350 |
| Lymphocyte count (cells/μl) | 1036 ± 92 | 916 ± 87 | 0.402 |
| Total protein (g/dl) | 6.9 ± 1.0 | 6.4 ± 0.8 | 0.346 |
| Albumin (g/dl) | 3.7 ± 0.8 | 3.3 ± 0.6 | 0.367 |
aWith hemodialysis
bAll patients received corticosteroid therapy