Table 1.
Demographic and descriptive profiles of patients with pulmonary TB grouped according to the isolation period.
| Characteristics | Total number of patients (n = 134) | Early isolation (within 3 days, n = 90) | Delayed isolation (after 3 days, n = 44) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 61 (22) | 55 (22) | 72 (17) | <0.001 |
| Male sex | 90 (67) | 65 (72) | 25 (57) | 0.08 |
| Comorbidity | ||||
| None | 40 (30) | 34 (38) | 6 (14) | 0.004 |
| Hypertension | 52 (39) | 29 (32) | 23 (52) | 0.03 |
| Diabetes | 41 (31) | 25 (28) | 16 (36) | 0.31 |
| COPD | 8 (6) | 2 (2) | 6 (14) | 0.02 |
| Asthma | 5 (4) | 2 (2) | 3 (7) | 0.33 |
| Cerebrovascular accident | 11 (8) | 7 (8) | 4 (9) | 0.75 |
| Coronary artery disease | 10 (7) | 7 (8) | 3 (7) | 1.00 |
| HIV | 2 (2) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) | 1.00 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 10 (7) | 5 (6) | 5 (11) | 0.30 |
| Malignancy | 16 (12) | 6 (7) | 10 (23) | <0.01 |
| TB history | 18 (13) | 12 (13) | 6 (14) | 0.96 |
| TB medication history | 14 (10) | 9 (10) | 5 (11) | 0.77 |
| Clinical features | ||||
| Fever | 36 (27) | 20 (22) | 16 (36) | 0.08 |
| Chill | 21 (16) | 15 (17) | 6 (14) | 0.65 |
| Cough | 69 (52) | 54 (60) | 15 (34) | 0.01 |
| Sputum | 43 (32) | 35 (39) | 8 (18) | 0.02 |
| Dyspnea | 31 (23) | 17 (19) | 14 (32) | 0.10 |
| Chest pain | 12 (9) | 8 (9) | 4 (9) | 1.00 |
| Other pain | 21 (16) | 9 (10) | 12 (27) | 0.01 |
| Hemoptysis | 6 (5) | 5 (6) | 1 (2) | 0.66 |
| Night sweats | 10 (7) | 10 (11) | 0 (0) | 0.03 |
| Loss of appetite | 24 (18) | 19 (21) | 5 (11) | 0.16 |
| Weight loss | 23 (17) | 21 (23) | 2 (5) | <0.01 |
| Laboratory findings | ||||
| Positive AFB smear | 84 (63) | 66 (73) | 18 (41) | <0.001 |
| Positive TB PCR | 107 (87) | 78 (93) | 29 (74) | 0.007 |
| Radiological findings (chest radiograph) | ||||
| Diagnosis of TB | 94 (70) | 74 (82) | 20 (46) | <0.001 |
| Active TB | 76 (57) | 66 (73) | 10 (23) | <0.001 |
| Typical findings of TB in adults | 76 (57) | 61 (68) | 15 (34) | <0.001 |
| New disease on follow-up examination | 37 (28) | 25 (28) | 12 (27) | 0.04 |
| Hospitalization course | ||||
| Admission to the Infectious Disease or Pulmonology Department | 86 (64) | 68 (76) | 18 (41) | <0.001 |
| Length of hospitalization (days, median (range)) | 13 (6–22) | 10 (3–17) | 19 (12–51) | <0.001 |
| Exposure days, median (range) | 1 (0–6) | 0 (0–1) | 9 (6–14) | <0.001 |
| In-hospital mortality | 17 (13) | 11 (12) | 6 (14) | 0.82 |
Data are numbers (%) of patients, unless otherwise indicated.
Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; TB, tuberculosis; AFB, acid-fast bacilli; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.