Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the current status of doctor's delay in diagnosing endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) and to elucidate the risk factors contributing to the delay. Retrospective clinicopathological analysis. Sixty-two patients with EBTB were admitted at our hospital between 1999 and 2010. Their backgrounds, symptoms, diagnoses at initial consultation, delay in diagnosis, and clinical examination results were analyzed. Of the 62 patients, 59 had acid-fast, bacillipositive sputum smear test results at admission. Among the 40 patients with total diagnostic delay of more than 2 months, only 11 experienced long patient's delay exceeding 2 months. However, 22 patients experienced long doctor's delay of more than 2 months (28% vs. 55%, respectively, p < 0.05), suggesting that doctor's delay contributes more to total delay than patient's delay. Fever was less frequent in patients with long doctor's delays than in those without (0% vs. 18%, respectively), at the initial consultation. In addition, radiographs showed that patients with long doctor's delays more frequently presented with shadows in the lower lung field (50% vs. 23%, p < 0.05), and most of these patients had noncavitary shadows on admission. All 7 patients diagnosed with bronchial asthma at the initial consultation had long doctor's delays. These findings demonstrate that long doctor's delays in diagnosing EBTB remain an issue. The clinical features of EBTB with long doctor's delays were confirmed to be quite different from those of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Paper version not known (
Free)
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
