title: [Evaluation of care for elderly pulmonary tuberculosis patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the clinical problem of elderly pulmonary tuberculosis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical findings of pulmonary tuberculosis in elderly patients, who admitted to our hospital from 2001 to 2003, were analyzed in their status, complication, treatment, and prognosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 145 patients, and the early elders from 65 to 74 years old were 67, and the latter elders over 75 years old were 78. Most of the cases were treated by the standard tuberculosis treatment, but in the latter elders, less patients were treated by the short course treatment with PZA than the early elders. The rate of negative conversion of sputum culture was good in both the early and the latter elders who were able to continue treatment. But, the elderly pulmonary tuberculosis patients were severe status and their prognosis was in general not good. The elderly pulmonary tuberculosis patients needed frequent care continuously. Tuberculosis problem should be understood more correctly in the medical and the nursing facilities.
authors.affiliation: National Hospital Organization, Chiba-East National Hospital, Chiba-shi, Japan. sasakiy@cehpnet.com
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.forename: Takenori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Rei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bekku
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shinozaki
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006268:Health Facilities; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents