Death in notified cases of tuberculosis in Edinburgh: 1983-1992.
Between 1983-1992, 730 cases of tuberculosis were notified in the Edinburgh area (population 6 x 10(5)). A review of available records identified 79 deaths (10.9% of all notifications). Thirty-seven patients (5.1%) died in the year following notification, 14 of these (five females, nine males; median age 71 years) due to tuberculosis. Five of these 14 deaths occurred within 7 days of starting chemotherapy and three deaths were due to miliary disease. Of 41 deaths (58%) before notification, 29 (19 females, 10 males; median age 77 years) were due to tuberculosis (autopsy rate 27/29) and 13 of these 29 deaths, all autopsied, were due to cryptic miliary disease. These findings reinforce continuing concerns about failure to diagnose tuberculosis, particularly cryptic miliary disease, in life.
Selby
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University Department of Medicine, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, U.K.
Thomson
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D
Leitch
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AG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018563:Disease Notification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000401:mortality*; D014391:Tuberculosis, Miliary / Q000401:mortality