Tuberculosis in the elderly.
A study of 120 cases of tuberculosis in patients aged 65 years and above revealed that there were more males than females with the disease compared with the younger age group of 15 to 45 years old. The elderly group also had significantly more severe and more had bacteriologically positive disease. The majority of them were born outside Singapore and immigrated more than 30 years ago. Risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, past history of tuberculosis, malignancy and gastrectomy were more common in the elderly group. Standard 6-month regimens were well tolerated and adverse side effects to the drugs were negligible.
Tan
K K
KK
Dept of Tuberculosis Control, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.
Cherian
A
A
Teo
S K
SK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012846:Singapore; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology