As the global population ages, the proportion of tuberculosis (TB) patients who are older adults is also increasing around the world, especially in high-income countries.

Aging is one of the risk factors that are associated with poor outcomes of pulmonary TB.

Older patients with pulmonary TB have high mortality; death related to TB was observed in 38% of those aged ≥ 75 years during the course of treatment and in particular, 28% of those aged ≥ 84 years within 60 days of treatment initiation.

Older TB patients experienced adverse events more frequently despite the common practice of excluding pyrazinamide from the initial regimen among older patients in Japan.