Tuberculosis in schizophrenia as compared with other types of mental disease.

Abstract

1. The prevalence of tuberculosis among schizophrenics at the time of admission to mental hospitals is not higher than among patients with other mental diseases. 2. Schizophrenic patients within mental hospitals do not develop tuberculosis more frequently than others. 3. Schizophrenics who develop tuberculosis survive the disease as long as other patients. 4. Schizophrenic patients with inactive tuberculosis do not reactivate their disease more frequently than others. 5. The tuberculosis mortality among schizophrenic patients is no higher than among patients with other mental diseases. 6. There is no evidence of a relationship between the type of schizophrenia and the incidence of tuberculosis. 7. Since the tuberculosis morbidity and mortality among schizophrenics is essentially the same as among patients with other types of mental disease, there is no greater susceptibility to this disease among the former than the latter, and there is no need to assume the existence of constitutional differences in their reaction to tuberculosis.