THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN THE AGED

Abstract

Although recent advances in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis have succeeded in reducing morality rate, some western and Japanese studies indicated an increase in the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the aged. The purpose of present study was to survey the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the aged in Korea and to investigate the characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis in the aged in comparison with the same disease in the young adult. For this purpose we collected 821 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in various age groups including 508 cases of below 40 years of age, 222 cases of between 40 and 49 years of age and 91 cases of over 50 years of age. We observed the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis, motives of detection, degree of pulmonary lesions, symptoms, duration of illness, and results of various laboratory examinations in these three age groups and following conclusions were obtained. 1. The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the group of over 50 years of age was 12.4percent and this was twice as high as those in young adult-age group. 2. The relatively high motives of detection of pulmonary tuberculosis in young adult-age group was hospital visit with the complaint of related symptoms. Howeever, in the aged group relatively high percentage of patients were found to have pulmonary tuberculosis by incidental finding while they were checked by X-Ray during treatment of other illness. 3. Wherease the duration of illness was within one year in 54 percent of young adult-age group, there were many cases of pulmonary tuberculosis with the duration of illness of more than one year in the aged patients. 4. The severity of disease process was higher among aged group in comparison with young adult-age group and the extent of lesions was also more widespread and fairly advanced in the aged in comparison with the relatively localized lesions in the young adult-age group. 5. The symptomatology did not differ much from that of the adult-age group but the disease process was much slower and dyspnea was found much frequently in the aged group. 6. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was observed to be much more rapid in the aged tuberculosis patients. 7. The incidence of positive sputum was also much higher in the aged group. 8. The incidence of complications and associated diseases, especially of hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, bronchial asthma and atelectasis was much higher in the aged group and two cases showed complication of lung cancer.