[Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in connection with the guideline for community-acquired pneumonia].
The decision when to make chest X-ray examination is important for early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and community-acquired pneumonia as well. And for early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, differential diagnosis with community-acquired pneumonia is important. For this reasons, guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia should include when to make chest X-ray examination, and how to exclude the possibility of pulmonary tuberculosis. For example, empiric choice of anti-microbial for apparent pneumonia should be an agent without anti-tuberculosis effect. Clinical evaluation of the effect of anti-microbial should be done carefully, because pulmonary tuberculosis can be clinically improved spontaneously. In the guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia could include the above-mentioned views on early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, the guideline could be much more helpful for the tuberculosis program.
Medical Doctors Training Division, Department of Program Support, Research Institute of Tuberculosis, 3-1-24, Matsuyama, Kiyose-shi, Tokyo 204-8533, Japan. ito@jata.or.jp
Kunihiko
K
Ito
D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*