title: Symptoms in patients attending services for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in Sudan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the variation in clinical features of individuals presenting to a health facility with chest symptoms according to their ultimate diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 16735 patients (52.6% males and 47.4% females) presenting at respiratory centres in seven states in Sudan, 5338 patients were identified with respiratory tract symptoms: 2917 (54.6%) men and 2421 (45.4%) women, with a mean age of 32 years. Those who had cough for more than 3 weeks that was not responsive to a course of antibiotics were screened by microscopy of two or three sputum specimens and chest radiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 504 (9.44%) were smear-positive, 259 (4.85%) were smear-negative, and 166 (3.11%) had extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, of whom 59 (1.11%) had pleural involvement; the remaining 4409 suspects (82.6%) were non-tuberculous.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tuberculosis patients had a constellation of presenting symptoms, with the principal symptom being cough for more than 3 weeks. The accompanying symptoms with greatest predicted significance were weight loss, tiredness and night sweats.
authors.affiliation: National Tuberculosis Programme, Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan. aelsony@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: El-Sony
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Khamis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sobhi
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Enarson
authors.forename: O Z
authors.initials: OZ
authors.lastname: Baraka
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bjune
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003371:Cough / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D013397:Sudan; D013997:Time Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D015431:Weight Loss