title: "Discovery to treatment" window in patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis.
abstract: Delay in commencing treatment in patients diagnosed with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) may promote the spread of PTB in the community. Socio-demographic and clinical data from 169 patients (119 retrospectively and 50 prospectively collected) treated for smear-positive PTB in our hospital Chest Clinic from June 2002 to February 2003 were analysed. One hundred and fifty eight (93.5%) patients were started on treatment in less than 7 days from the time when the report first became available while 11 (6.5%) patients had their treatment started > or = 7 days. The median 'discovery to treatment' window was 1 day (range, 0 to 24 days). Of the factors studied, longevity of symptoms, absence of fever or night sweats and having sought traditional medicine were associated with delay in treatment commencement. The urgency and importance of anti-TB treatment should be emphasized especially to patients who are inclined towards treatment with traditional medicine.
authors.affiliation: IMU Lung Research, International Medical University, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Codati
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jamil
authors.forename: Z Mohd
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Noor
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vijayasingham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology